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n 
0 


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/ 

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32x 

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filming  contract  spacificationa. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  fllmad 
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L'exemplaira  film*  fut  reproduit  grace  i  la 
gAnArosit*  de: 

Bibliotheqiie  nationale  du  Canada 

Les  images  suivantas  ont  M  reproduites  avec  le 
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conformit*  avec  les  conditions  du  contrt*  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
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par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darni*re  page  qui  compone  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmis  en  commencant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derni*re  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darni*re  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ♦-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  "   le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  etre 
film*s  *  des  taux  de  reduction  diff*rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  etre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clich*.  il  est  film*  *  partir 
de  I'angle  sup*rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  i  droite. 
*\^*  ^*"*  •"  ''■*•  •"  P'«"ant  le  nombre 
d'images  n*cessaire.  Las  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m*thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

MICROCOPY   RESOIUTKJN   TEST   CHART 

lANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No   2l 


1.0 


ISO    '*'^™ 

It  i^ 


2.5 

1.8 


^  APPLIED  INA^GE     Inc 

^^-  !6bi   East    Mam    Street 

rjS  Rochester.   Ne«   York        14609       USA 

iSS  ;716)    482  -  0300  -  Phone 

^B  (716)   288  -  5989  -  Fox 


bf»»-33 


^Mr'-  -h^'  m 


^!M^ 


"She  did   not  speak   tu  the  attendant  while  she  dined,  hut 
continued  to  stare  hctore  her  through  the  open  shoji " 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


A    ROMANCE    OF  JAPAN 


BY 


ONOTO   WATANNA 

AUTHOR  OF  "A  JAPANESE  NIGHTINGALE,"   "THE  WOOING  OF 
WISTARIA,"    "THE  HEART  OF  HYACINTH,"    ETC. 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  DECORATIONS 
BY  KIVOKICHI  SANG 


THE  MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO..  Ltd. 
1904 

Ali  righU  rttervtd 


262245 


Copyright,  1904, 
Bv  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


S«t  up,  electrotyped,  and  published  April,  1904.     Reprinted 
April,  1904. 


NoTtooaO  QrtU 

J.  9.  Cubing  &  Co.  —  Ucrwlek  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mm*.,  U.S.A. 


Contents 

CHArrBK 

PMB 

Before  the  Story's  Action 

«3 

I. 

The  Child  of  the  Sun  . 

*5 

II. 

An  Emperor's  Promise 

4« 

III. 

Masago     .... 

53 

IV. 

A  Betrothal 

67 

V. 

Gossip  of  the  Court     . 

77 

VI. 

The  Princess  Sado-ko  . 

87 

VII. 

The  Picture  by  the  Artist-mai 

lOI 

VIII. 

A  Sentimental  Princess 

113 

IX. 

Moon  Tryst 

.     127 

X. 

Cousin  Komatzu 

■     >47 

XI. 

A  Mirror  and  a  Photograph 

.     163 

XII. 

Mists  of  Kamakura 

•     «7S 

XIII. 

Daughters  of  Nijo 

189 

XIV. 

Solution  of  the  Gods    . 

.     199 

XV. 

The  Change 

.     211 

XVI. 

A  Family  Council 

.     229 

XVII. 

The  New  Masago 

•     *43 

XVIII. 

A  Mother  Blind  . 

■     *55 

XIX. 

Within  the  Palace  Nijo 

.     267 

XX. 

An  Evil  Omen    . 

.     281 

CHArm 

PACI 

XXI. 

"  You  are  not  Sado-ko  ! "     . 

295 

XXII. 

The  Coming  Home  of  Junzo 

309 

XXIII. 

The  Convalesceni:         .          .          . 

321 

XXIV. 

A  Royal  Proclamation  . 

335 

XXV. 

The  Eve  of  a  Wedding 

347 

XXVI. 

Masago's  Return 

359 

XXVII. 

A  Gracious  Princess  at  Last  .         . 

377 

XXVIII. 

"The  Gods  knew  Best  !"    . 

387 

Illustrations 


«« She  did  not  speak  to  the  attendant  while  she  dined, 
but  continued  to  stare  before  her  through  the 
openshoji" Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

"A  score  of  ripe  cherries  descended  upon  her  iicad  "        35 


"  '  Look,'  cried  Sado-ko,  clutching  his  sleeve" 

Mists  of  Kamakura      ...... 

"  Then  up  and  down  the  room  in  the  long,  trailing 
robe  of  Princess  Sado-ko,  walked,  peacock-like, 
the  maiden  Masago"    ..... 

"  Then  soft  alighted  on  a  cherry  tree,  and  filled  the 
air  with  its  sweet  song "         .  .  .         . 

"  She  met  his  eyes,  then  flushed  and  trembled" 

«'  Between  the  parted  shoji,  she  stood  like  one  un- 
certain"     .....•• 


H3 
•83 

217 

223 
33> 

365 


Daughters   of  Nijo 


BEFORE  THE   STORY'S  ACTION 

IN  the  early  part  of  the  year  of  the  Restora- 
tion there  lived  within  the  Province  of 
Echizen  a  young  farmer  named  Yamada 
Kwacho.  Although  he  belonged  only  to  the 
agricultural  class,  he  was  known  and  honored 
throughout  the  entire  province,  for  at  one  time 
he  had  saved  the  life  of  the  Daimio  of  the 
province,  the  powerful  Lord  of  Echizen,  pre- 
mier to    the  shogunate. 

In  spite  of  the  favor  of  the  Daimio  of  the 
province,  Yamada  Kwacho  made  no  effort  to 
rise  above  the  class  to  which  he  had  been  born. 
Satisfied  with  his  estate,  he  was  proud  of  his 
simple  and  honest  calling.  So  the  Lord  of 
Echizen,  having  no  opportunity  of  repaying  the 
young  former  for  his  service,  contented  himself 
perforce   with  a  promise   that  if  at  any  time 

•3 


H 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


Yamada  Kwacho  should  require  his  aid,  he 
would  not  fail  him. 

Kwacho,  therefore,  lived  happily  in  the 
knowledge  of  his  prince's  favor;  and  since  he 
possessed  an  excellent  little  farm  which  yielded 
him  a  comfortable  living,  he  had  few  cares. 

He  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  years 
before  he  began  to  cast  about  him  for  a  wife. 
Because  of  his  renown  in  the  province,  Kwacho 
might  have  chosen  a  maiden  of  much  higher 
rank  than  his  own ;  but,  being  of  a  sensible 
mind  and  nature,  he  sought  a  bride  within  his 
own  class.  He  found  her  in  the  person  of  little 
Ohano,  the  daughter  of  a  neighboring  farmer. 
She  was  as  plump,  rosy,  and  pretty  as  is  pos- 
sible for  a  Japanese  maiden.  Moreover,  she 
was  docile  and  gentle  by  temperament,  and  had 
all  ihe  admirable  domestic  virtues  attractive  to 
the  e)  ^  of  a  youth  of  the  character  of  Yamada 
Kwacho. 

Though  their  courtship  was  brief,  their  wed- 
ding was  splendid,  for  the  Prince  of  Echizen 
himself  bestowed  upon  them  gifts  with  all 
good  wishes  and  congratulations.     Life  seemed 


BEFORE   THE   STORY'S   ACTION      15 

to  bear  a  more  joyous  aspect  to  Kwacho.  He 
went  about  his  work  whistling  and  singing. 
All  his  field-hands  and  coolies  knew  him  for 
the  kindest  of  masters. 

The  young  couple  had  not  been  married  a 
month,  when  a  great  prince,  a  member  of  the 
reigning  house,  visited  the  Lord  of  Echizen  in 
his  province.  Report  had  it  that  this  royal 
prince  was  in  reality  an  emissary  from  the 
Emperor,  for  at  this  time  the  country  was 
torn  with  the  dissensions  of  Imperialist  and 
Bakufu.  It  was  well  known  that  the  Daimio 
of  Echizen  owed  his  ofhce  of  shogunate  pre- 
mier to  the  Mikado  himself,  and  that  he  was 
secretly  in  sympathy  with  the  Imperialists, 
Consequently  there  were  great  banquets  and 
entertainments  given  in  the  Province  of  Echi- 
zen when  a  prince  of  the  royal  family  con- 
descended to  visit  the  Mikado's  vassal,  the 
Daimio  of  Echizen.  The  whole  province 
wore  a  gala  aspect,  and  the  streets  of  the 
principal  cities  were  constantly  enlivened  by 
the  passing  parades  and  corteges  of  the  re- 
tainers of  the  visiting  prince. 


i6 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


Owing  to  the  presence  of  his  august  guest, 
the  Lord  of  Kchi/en  was  obliged  to  send  a 
courier  to  Yedo  with  proper  apologies  for  not 
presenting  himself  before  the  Shogun  at  this 
time.  He  showed  his  confidence  in  Kwacho 
by  bestowing  upon  him  the  honor  of  this 
important  mission. 

The  young  farmer,  while  naturally  loath 
to  leave  his  young  bride  of  a  month,  yet, 
mindful  of  the  ^reat  honor,  started  at  once 
for  the  Shogun's  capital.  Thus  Ohano  was 
left  at  home  alone. 

Being  but  fifteen  years  old,  she  was  fond 
of  gayety,  of  music  and  dancing,  and  it  was 
her  dearest  wish  to  visit  the  capital  city  of 
the  province,  that  she  might  see  the  gorgeous 
parade  of  the  nobles.  With  her  husband 
gone,  however,  she  was  forced  to  deny  her- 
self this  pleasure,  and  had  to  remain  at  home 
in  seclusion  under  the  charge  of  an  elderly 
but  foolish  maid.  Ohano  became  lonely  and 
restless.  She  wearied  of  sitting  in  the  house, 
thinking  of  Kwacho;  and  it  was  tiresome, 
too,  to   wander    about    the    farm    fields   and 


BEFORE   THE   STORY'S   ACTION      17 


watch  the  coolies  and  laborers.  Ghano  pi.ied 
foi'  a  little  of  that  excitement  so  precious  to 
her  butterfly  heart.  Much  thought  of  the 
capital  gayeties,  and  much  conversation  with 
the  foolish  maid,  finally  wrought  a  result. 

Ghano  would  put  on  her  prettiest  and 
gayest  of  gowns  to  visit  the  capital  alone, 
just  as  though  she  were  a  maiden  and  not  a 
matron  who  should  have  had  the  company 
of  her  husband. 

As  the  city  was  not  a  great  distance  away, 
they  could  use  a  comfoi  ^  le  kurumma  which 
would  hold  them  both.  Four  of  the  field 
coolies  could  be  spared  as  kurumma  carriers. 
In  delight  the  foolish  maid  dressed  her  mis- 
tress, by  this  time  all  rosy  with  pleasurable 
excitement  and  anticipation.  The  adventure 
pleased  them  both,  though  the  foolish  mis- 
tress assured  the  foolish  maid  repeatedly  that 
they  would  go  but  to  the  edge  of  the  city. 
Thus  they  could  see  the  great  parade  of  the 
royal  prince  pass  out  of  the  city  gates,  for 
this  was  the  day  on  which  the  prince  was  to 
leave  Echizen  and  return  to  Kyoto.     All  his 


i8 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


splendid  retinue  would  accompany  him.  It 
was  only  once  in  a  lifetime  one  was  afforded 
the  opportunity  of  such  a  sight,  Ohano 
declared. 

They  started  from  the  farm  gleefully.  All 
the  way  mistress  and  maid  chatted  and  laughed 
in  enjoyment.  Before  they  had  reached  the 
edge  of  the  city  a  countryman  told  them  the 
royal  cortege  was  even  then  passing  through 
the  city  gates,  and  that  they  must  leave  the 
road  in  haste,  for  the  parade  would  reach  their 
portion  of  the  highway  in  a  few  minutes. 

The  foolish  maid  suggested  that  they 
alight  from  the  kurumma,  that  they  might 
have  a  still  better  view  of  the  parade.  So 
after  the  maid  the  rosy-cheeked  little  bride, 
with  her  eyes  dancing  and  shining,  her  red 
lips  apart,  her  childish  face  all  gleaming  with 
pleased  curiosity,  swung  lightly  to  the  ground 
also. 

They  were  just  in  time,  for  the  royal  parade 
had  taken  the  road,  and  the  outriders  were 
already  in  view,  so  that  the  kurumma  carriers 
were   forced   to   drag   their  vehicle  aside   and 


BEFORE  THE   STORY'S   ACTION      19 


I 


fall  upon  their  faces  in  the  dust.  The  foolish 
maid,  following  their  example,  hid  her  face  on 
the  ground  so  that  she  lost  sight  of  that 
she  had  come  far  to  see.  Ohano,  however, 
less  agitated  than  her  servants,  instead  of  pros- 
trating herself  at  the  side  of  the  road,  retired 
to  a  little  bluff  near  the  roadside.  She 
thought  she  was  far  enough  from  the  high- 
way to  be  unseen;  but  as  she  happened  to  be 
standing  on  a  sloping  elevation,  and  her  gay 
dress  made  a  bright  spot  of  color  against  the 
landscape,  she  was  perfectly  visible  to  such  of 
the  cortege  as  chanced  to  look  in  her  direction. 

Very  slowly  and  leisurely  the  train  pro- 
ceeded. Nobles,  samurai,  vassals,  retainers, 
attendants,  the  personal  train  of  each  principal 
samurai,  prancing  horses,  lacquered  litters,  nori- 
monos,  bearing  the  wives  and  concubines  of 
the  princely  staff,  banners  and  streamers  and 
glittering  breastplates,  all  these  filed  slowly  by 
and  dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  little  rustic  Ohano. 

Then  suddenly  she  felt  her  knees  become 
weak,  hands  trembled,  while  a  great  flame 
rushed  to  her  giddy  little  head.     She  became 


20 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


conscious  of  the  fact  that  the   train  had  sud- 
denly halted,  and  that  the   bamboo   hangings 
of  a  gilded  norimon  had  parted.     As  the  cur- 
tains of  the  norimon  were  slowly  lifted,  the  six 
stout-legged  retainers  carrying  the  vehicle  came 
to  a  standstill,  while  one  of  them,  apparently 
receiving  an   order,  deftly  drew  the   hangings 
from    side    to   side,    revealing    the   personage 
within.      The   norimon's  occupant  had  raised 
iumself  lazily  on  h;,  elbow  and  turned  about 
sidewise  in  his  carriage.      His  eyes  were  lan- 
guorous and  sleepy,  slow  and  sensuous  in  *heir 
glance.     They  looked  out  now  over  the  heads 
of  the  retainers,  upward  toward  the  small  blufF 
upon  which  stood  Ohano. 

For  some  reason,  perhaps  because  she  saw 
something  warmer  than  menace  in  the  eyes  of 
this  indolent  individual,  Ohano  smiled  half 
unconsciously.  Her  little  white  teeth  gleamed 
between  her  rosy  lips.  She  appeared  very 
bewitching  as  she  stood  there  in  her  flowered 
gown  in  the  sunlight. 

A    moment    later   something   extraordinary 
happened    to   Ohano.     She    knew   that   stout 


BEFORE  THE  STORY'S  ACTION      21 

arms  had  seized  her,  that  her  eyes  were  sud- 
denly bound  with  linen,  and  then  that  she  was 
lifted  from  her  feet.  Her  giddy  senses  reeled 
to  a  dizzy  unconsciousness. 

When  next  she  opened  her  eyes,  she  found 
that  all  was  darkness  about  her.  Conscious- 
ness came  to  her  very  slowly.  She  knew  from 
the  swaying  movement  of  what  seemed  the 
soft  coucl  upon  which  she  lay  that  she  was 
being  cai.ied  somewhere.  Ohano  put  out  a 
fearful  little  hand,  and  it  touched  —  a  face! 
At  that  she  sat  up  ciying  out  in  fright.  Then 
the  person  who  lay  beside  her  stretched  out 
hands  toward  her,  and  she  was  suddenly  drawn 
down  into  his  arms.  He  whispered  in  her 
ear,  and  his  voice  was  like  that  of  one  speak- 
ing to  her  in  a  dream. 

"Fear  nothing,  little  dove.  You  are  safe 
with  me  in  my  norimon.  But  to  see  you  was 
to  desire  you.  Do  not  tremble  so.  You  will 
appreciate  the  honor  I  have  done  you,  when 
you  realize  it.  You  shall  be  the  favorite  con- 
cubine of  the  Prince  of  Nijo,  and  never  a  wish 
of  your  heart  or  eyes  shall  be  denied  by  me." 


22 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


She  could  not  stir,  so  close  he  held  her 

"  It  is  so  dark."  she  cried  breathlessly,     and 

1  am  afraid.   O-O-most  h-h-honorable  prmee^ 
"It  is  night,  pretty  dove;  buff  I  part  th 
curtains  of  my  norimon.  the  august  moon  W.U 
lend  us  joyful  light.     Will  you  then  cease  to 

tremble  and  to  fear  me  ?  " 

She  began  to  sob  weaWy,  and  through  her 
childish   brain  just   then    «-<*,    the  vag„= 
thought  of  Kwacho.     She   »as   hke   one  en 
Ished  in  a  dream  nightmare.     He  who  lay 
beside  her  laughed  softly,  and  sought  to  w.pe 
.„ay  her  tears  with  his  sensuous  hps. 

"Tears  are  for  the  sad  and  homely.  Never 
for  the  Jewel  of  Nijo!  Well,  with  h.s  own 
l:gust  lips  he  wipes  them_away  from  the  pretty 

dove's  face.     So  and  so ! " 

Yamada  Kwacho  returned  to  Ech.zen  one 
week  later.  As  became  a  bridegroom  the 
voung  husband  had  gone  first  to  h-s  home, 
ntending  to  report  to  his  prince  immed,ately 
afterward  He  entered  the  little  farm-house 
with  a  joyous  step  and  an  eager,  expectant  face. 
H,  kft  ,he  house  like  one  shot  from  a  cannon, 


BEFORE   THE   STORY'S   ACTION      23 


on  a  mad  run  for  the  city.  His  brain  whirled. 
He  could  not  see.  He  could  not  think.  He 
had  a  dim  memory  of  having  rushed  upon  the 
foolish  maid  like  one  demented,  of  listening 
with  gaping  mouth  to  the  tale  she  told ;  then 
of  thrusting  her  from  him  with  such  force  that 
she  fell  to  the  floor  in  a  heap. 

Forgetting  the  respect  due  his  lordship,  the 
young  farmer  burst  into  the  Daimio  of 
Echizen's  presence.  He  had  none  of  the 
samurai  calm,  and  his  whole  form  fairly  shook 
and  swayed  with  the  strength  of  his  emotions. 

The  Lord  of  Echizen  thrust  forward  a 
startled  face. 

"  News  from  the  shogunate,  Yamada 
Kwacho?"  he  cried,  fearing  from  the  aspect 
of  the  youth  that  some  treachery  had  been 
done  his  political  party.  In  disjointed  sen- 
tences, words  coming  through  his  teeth  with 
effort  because  of  his  heavy  breathing,  the 
young  farmer  told  his  lord  of  the  kidnapping 
of  his  bride,  and  recalled  to  him  that  promise 
of  aid  when  necessity  should  demand  it. 

The   young   husband    pleaded  not  in  vain. 


24 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


Grieved,  insulted,  and  incensed,  the  Daimio  of 
Echizen  journeyed  in  person  to  the  Mikado's 
city  of  Kyoto,  and  straight  to  his  August 
Majesty  himself  went  the  story  of  the  farmer 
of  Echizen.  After  this  there  was  a  great 
search  made  through  the  palaces  and  harems 
of  the  Prince  of  Nijo.  Five  months  later 
Ohano  was  found  and  returned  to  her  husband, 
Yamada  Kwacho. 

Three  months  had  scarcely  passed  before 
the  bells  of  the  Imperial  City  rang  out  a  joyous 
chime.  The  consort  of  the  Prince  of  Nijo 
had  given  birth  to  a  royal  princess.  On  that 
same  day,  in  the  little  farm-house  of  Yamada 
Kwacho,  one  more  female  citizen  was  added  to 
the  Province  of  Echizen,  and  Ohano  became  a 
mother. 


1 


CHAPTER   I 


THE   CHILD   OF  THE  SUN 


%^ 


CHAPTER   I 


THE    CHILD    OF   THE    SUN 


ON  the  shore  of  Hayama,  in  a  little 
village  two  hours'  ride  by  train  from 
Tokyo,  there  stood  a  sumptuous  villa, 
the  summer  residence  of  the  Prince  of  Nijo, 
though  Nijo  himself  was  seldom  seen  there. 
Dissolute  and  dissipated  by  nature  and  cultiva- 
tion, he  preferred  the  gayeties  and  excitements 
of  the  Imperial  Court.  Here,  however,  had 
resided  ever  since  the  year  of  the  Restoration 
his  mother,  the  Empress  Dowpger,  a  noble 
and  high-souled  woman,  who  preferred  the 
old-fashioned  conservatism  and  beauty  of  her 
country  palace  to  the  modern  and  garish  court. 
The  decorations  of  her  palace,  the  pcyle  of 
her  robes,  and  those  of  her  attendants,  were 
entirely  of  the  old  time.  This  was  in  pleasu  3; 
contrast  to  the  customs  of  the  new  Empress, 

27 


28 


DAUGHrKRS   OF   NIJO 


who  h;id  adopted  the  foreign  style.  In  the 
Imperial  Court  in  its  new  Tokyo  home,  there 
was  the  heavy  perfume  of  the  choicest  roses 
and  violets,  but  in  the  palace  of  the  old 
Empress  Dowager  there  was  the  subtle,  faint 
aroma  of  sweet  umegaku  and  tambo. 

Fuji,  the  queenly  niountain,  wrapped  about 
in  its  glorious  garment  of  snow,  mellowed  by 
the  touch  of  the  sun,  could  be  seen  from  her 
seat.  On  all  sides  of  the  palace  grounds  there 
were  valleys  and  sloping  hills.  Within  the 
stone  walls  which  encircled  the  palace  like  a 
fortress     there    were     gardens    of    wondrous 

beauty. 

The  palace  itself  was  of  simple  and  old-fash- 
ioned architecture.  It  faced  to  the  east,  and  its 
towers  and  turrets  were  of  gold.  Its  shojis 
were  large  and  so  clear  that  the  sunlight 
pierced  through  them,  flooding  the  interior. 
The  floors  were  covered  with  soft  sweet  tata- 

mts rush  mats;  the  decorations  on  the  screens 

and  panels  of  the  sliding  doors  were  subdued 
and  refined  though  works  of  art. 

It  was  in  this  palace  that  the  daughter  of  the 


THE  CHILD  OF  THE  SUN 


29 


Prince  of  Nijo  spent  her  childhood.  She  was 
called  Sado-ko,  after  her  mother,  who  had  died 
in  giving  her  birth.  Her  father  after  his  pres- 
ence at  a  perfunctory  feast  given  in  honor  of 
the  birth  of  the  princess  had  returned  imme- 
diately to  his  pleasures  in  the  capital,  and 
Sado-ko  was  left  in  the  charge  of  her  grand- 
mother, the  Dowager  Empress. 

Great  was  the  love  existing  between  these 
two.  All  that  was  noblest  in  the  character  and 
nature  of  the  young  princess  was  fostered  by 
the  old  Empress.  The  qualities  for  which  she 
became  noted  in  after  years  were  the  chilling 
work  of  those  who,  after  the  death  of  her 
grandmother,  were  given  charge  of  Sado-ko. 

In  early  childhood  Sado-ko  was  wont  to 
run  with  fleet  feet  about  the  castle  gardens, 
chasing  the  gloriously  hued  butterflies.  They 
flew  about  her  in  great  numbers,  for  they  were 
importations  to  the  palace  as  tame  as  home 
birds.  They  knew  the  little  princess  would 
do  them  no  harm,  and  so  they  fluttered  lightly 
to  her  finger,  her  head,  her  shoulder,  even  to 
her  red  lips.     Sado-ko  loved  them  dearly,  just 


JO  DAUGHTKRS  OF  NIJO 

as  she  adored  the  gardens  and  the  goddess-like 
Kuji,  —  her  first  sight  upon  arising  in  the  morn- 
ing. She  loved,  too,  the  quiet,  retired  beauty 
of  her  life,  with  its  freedom  inside  the  dark 
stone  walls.  But  more  than  these  things  she 
loved  the  Empress  Dowager. 

Until  she  was  twelve  years  of  age,  she  knew 
no  other  life  than  that  encompassed  by  the 
walls  of  the  palace  grounds.  Beyond  them  she 
had  been  told  there  was  another  life,  turbulent, 
restless,  troublous.  The  walls  looked  forbid- 
ding. How  much  worse  must  be  the  world 
outside  them,  and  beyond  the  wide  stretch  of 
land  and  water  that  faded  into  misty  outline! 

Within  were  sunshine,  birds,  flowers,  gentle 
words,  and  soft  caressing  smiles.     Without,  a 
cruel,   cold    world   waiting   to   snuflf    out   the 
warmth  and  sunshine  of  her  nature.     All  this 
was  taught  to  Sado-ko  by  the   old    Empress 
Dowager,  who  in  her  old  age  had  become  sel- 
fish.    This  was  the  way  in  which  she  sought 
to  keep  with   her  the   heart  and  soul  of  the 
companion    of   her   old   age, -the   child   she 
loved.     Even  after  she  had  passed  away,  she 


THE  CHILI)   OF  THE  SUN 


3» 


knew  that  the  thoughis  of  the  princess  would 
remain  with  her  though  her  sotil  should  have 
flown.  Thus  she  paved  the  way  for  a  compan- 
ionship in  death  as  in  life,  as  was  the  custom 
with  her  ancient  ancestors. 

The  children  of  the  Empress  Dowager  had 
disappointed  her.  The  Kmperor  was  occupied 
with  the  cares  of  the  nation  and  the  strenuous 
conditions  of  the  times,  Nijo  was  almost  imbe- 
cile from  dissipation,  her  only  daughter  had 
been  married  into  the  Tokugawa  family,  and 
was  practically  separated  from  her  own  kin. 
There  was  none  left  to  share  companionship 
with  the  old  Empress,  until  the  little  Sado-ko 
had  come.  She  was  the  sole  princess  of  the 
Nijo  family  recognized  by  the  Empress,  for 
Western  morality  having  sifted  its  way  into  t'le 
Japanese  court,  the  children  of  Nijo  by  his 
concubines  were  regarded  as  illegitimate  by  the 
heads  of  the  royal  family,  although  they  were 
treated  with  the  honor  due  their  blood  and 
rank.  Sado-ko  was  motherless.  The  Em- 
press Dowager  was  her  natural  and  legal  guar- 
dian, and  to  her  grandmother  she  was  given. 


32 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


For  ten  years,  then,  these  two  -  the  very  old 
Empress  and  the  very  young  princess- lived 
together.     Because  she  was  not  at  all  of  an  in- 
quisitive mind,  and  believed  implicitly  all  that 
her  grandmother  told  her,  the  child  was  per- 
fectly contented  with  the  simple  companionship 
of  the   Empress,  her  butterflies,  flowers,  and 
birds.     But    her  grandmother  was  too  old  to 
run  with  her  about  the  gardens,  and  ofttimes 
the  birds,  and  the  butterflies  too,  flew  over  the 
stone    wall    and    disappeared,   to   the    tearful 
anxiety  of  the  little  princess,  who  was  sure  they 
would  meet  great  harm. 

As  the  children  of  the  retainers  of  the  Em- 
press Dowager  were  not  permitted  to  visit  the 
private   gardens   of  the    palace,   Sado-ko    had 
grown  up  without  playmates  of  her  own  age. 
She  was  being  reared  in  that  seclusion  befitting 
a  descendant  of  the  sun-goddess,  and  in  quite 
the  ancient  style  to  which  her  grandmother  still 
clung.     So  it  was  only  those  attendants  who 
waited  upon  the  person  of  the  Dowagej-  Em- 
press who  saw  the  little  princess  herself,     -.he 
could  have  counted  upon  her  ten  pink  fingers 


THE   CHILD   OF  THE   SUN  33 

the  number  of  personages  with  whom  she  was 
acquainted.  There  were  the  four  grim  samurai 
guards  of  the  palace  gates,  (.he  three  elderly 
maids  of  honor  to  the  I'.mpress,  and  her  own 
personal  maid  and  nurse  Or  itsu-no,  in  addition 
to  the  palace  servants  and  the  gardener. 

But  one  eventful  day  in  the  month  of  June, 
a  new  personage  suddenly  introduced  himself  to 
Sado-ko.     She  had  been  listening  drowsily  for 
a  long  time  on  the  wide  balcony  of  the  palace 
to  her  grandmother's  reading  aloud  of  ancient 
Chinese  poems,  when  suddenly  a  swarm  of  her 
own  butterflies  flew  by,  all  seemingly  following 
the  lead  of  a  purple-hued  stranger.     Instantly 
Sado-ko  left  her  guardian's  side  in  pursuit,  her 
net  swinging  in  her  hand.     She   had   seldom 
experienced   any  trouble  in  catching  her  own 
butterflies,  but  the  stranger  flew  in  an  entirely 
new  direction.      Through  a  field   of  iris  and 
across  an  orchard  Sado-ko  followed  the  flight 
of  the  butterflies,  until  she  came  to  a  wall,  over 
which  the  purple  visitor  flew. 

Flushed  and  disappointed   the   princess  sat 
down    breathlessly   on    the    grass    beneath    a 


3+ 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


cherry  tree.  She  had  been  seated  but  a  mo- 
ment, when  the  tree  above  her  began  to 
shake  and  a  score  of  ripe  cherries  descended 
upon  her  head.  She  sprang  to  her  feet,  and 
looking  upward  saw  a  roguish  face  peering 
down  at  her  from  the  cherry  tree.  The  face 
belonged  to  a  boy  of  possibly  fourteen  years. 
He  was  laughing  with  delight  at  the  amazed 
and  frightened  face  of  the  little  princess,  and 
he  kept  pelting  her  with  cherries,  some  of 
which  actually  broke  on  her  small  Imperial 
person.  As,  however,  Sado-ko  continued  to 
gaze  up  at  him  in  that  frightened  manner, 
he  sprang  to  the  ground,  rolled  himself  about 
on  the  grass  for  a  spell,  and  then  turned 
several  somersaults  so  grotesque  that  Sado-ko 
forgot  her  fear  and  burst  into  childish 
laughter,  clapping  her  hands  delightedly  as 
he  came  to  his  feet  before  her.  They  were 
both  laughing  heartily  now,  as  they  surveyed 
each  other.  The  boy's  sleeves  and  the  front 
of  his  obi  were  filled  with  cherries,  so  that 
his  figure  was  a  succession  of  grotesque 
bunches.      There  were  cherry  stains,  too,  on 


i.i 


••  A  score  of  ripe  thcrries  descended  upon  her  head 


l>       • 


THE   CHILD   OF  THE  SUN 


Z7 


his    face. 


particularly  in  the  region  of  his 
laughing  mouth,  through  which  Sado-ko  saw 
the  whitest  of  teeth  gleaming.  He  had 
brown  eyes,  and  soft  silky  hair,  unshaven  in 
the  centre  of  his  head,  as  was  the  case  with 
the  palace  attendants.  Gradually  as  the  prin- 
cess surveyed  him  she  became  grave. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  she  said  at  last.  «  What 
is  your  honorable  name,  and  where  do  you 
live  ? " 

"  I  am  Kamura  Junzo,"  said  the  boy,  « and 
I  live  over  yonder."  He  waved  his  hand 
toward  the  wall. 

"  On  the  other  side  ? "  inquired  Sado-ko  in 
an  awed  voice.     He  nodded. 

"  I  know  who  you  are,"  he  continued. 

"I  am  the  Princess  Sado-ko,"  said  the 
child,  gravely. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  boy,  « and  the  august  Sun 
was  your  ancestor.  You  live  shut  up  in 
this  place  all  alone,  and  no  one  plays  with 
you." 

"I  have  my  honorable  dear  birds  and 
butterflies,"  she  said. 


38 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


He  looked  at  her  curiously. 

"  Yes,  I   have  heard  you  singing  to  them." 

"  And  you  wished  also  to  see  me  ? "  she 
questioned. 

"  Yes."  He  flushed  boyishly,  and  then 
added  with  Spartan  honesty,  "  Also  I  wanted 
some  of  your  cherries." 

"  They  are  very  good,"  said  the  princess. 

"  Oh,  yes,  there  are  none  so  good  without." 

"  Did  the  guards  deign  to  let  you  pass 
through  trie  gates  ?  " 

"  No."  A  pause,  then  :  "  I  deigned  to 
climb  over  the  wall." 

"  Some  day,"  said  Sado-ko,  wistfully,  "  her 
Majesty  says  a  prince  will  fly  over  the  walls 
and  carry  me  away.  Perhaps  you  are  that 
prince." 

"  Oh,  no ;  I  am  not  a  prince,  but  if  you 
wish,  I  will   play  that  I  am  one." 

"How  is  that?"  she  asked,  bewildered. 

"  This  cherry  tree  will  be  your  august  castle. 
I  will  come  over  the  wall,  and  you  must  run 
around  the  castle  to  escape  me.  I  will  pursue 
you,  and  then  I  will  carry  you  off  from  this 


THE   CHILD   OF   THE   SUN 


39 


dark  and  lonesome  prison   over  the  walls    to 
the  beautiful  world  outside." 

"  But  it  is  not  a  lonesome  prison  here,"  said 
the  princess,  "  and  outside  it  is  very  cold  and 
miserable,  for  her  Majesty  has  told  me  so." 

"Oh,  well,  let  us  play  it  is  so." 

And  so  they  played  together  until  past 
noon,  when  the  maid  and  gardener  were  both 
sent  to  seek  the  Princess  Sado-ko,  who  was 
chasing  butterflies.  They  rescued  her  just  as 
the  "  prince  "  was  about  to  carry  her  over  the 
walls,  upon  the  top  of  which  he  had  placed 
her,  by  climbing  up  in  the  cherry  tree  and 
across  a  bough  which  sloped  to  the  wall. 

The  rescued  princess  stamped  her  foot  an- 
grily at  the  gardener  when  he  threatened  the 
boy,  who  laughed  jeeringly  from  the  top  of 
the  wall ;  and  she  scolded  the  maid  when  that 
menial  drew  her  by  the  hand  from  the  scene. 
She  would  not  leave  the  vicinity  of  the  wall 
until  the  boy  had  disappeared  completely, 
which  he  did  by  jumping  off  to  the  other 
side.  Then  she  burst  into  tears  for  fear  he 
had  come  to  harm  in  the  wicked  world  without. 


40 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIjO 


Thereafter  a  close  watch  was  kept  upon  her 
movements,  and  she  was  not  permitted  to  go 
near  that  portion  of  the  walls  where  stood  the 
cherry-tree  castle.  Often  she  heard  the  boy 
whistling  from  that  direction,  and  once  she 
awoke  in  the  night,  because  she  had  dreamed 
that  he  was  calling  her  name,  "  Sado-ko ! 
Sado-ko!"  After  that  life  was  a  little  more 
lonesome  for  the  Child  of  the  Sun. 


CHAPTER   II 


AN  EMPEROR'S  PROMISE 


CHAPTER   II 


AN    EMPEROR  S    PROMISE 


ON  a  cold  morning  in  the  month  of 
January  the  Empress  Dowager  died. 
She  had  returned  from  a  ceremony 
of  the  thirtieth  anniversary  of  the  death  of  her 
late  consort.  Exhausted,  broken,  and  ill,  she 
had  come  back  to  her  country-seat,  her  visit 
to  Kyoto  having  been  too  much  for  her 
strength. 

That  night  messengers  went  in  haste  to  the 
capital,  and  the  following  morning  brought  to 
the  bedside  of  the  dying  Empress  her  son,  the 
Emperor,  and  his  consort. 

All  night  long  the  little  Princess  Sado-ko 
crouched  in  the  darkness  of  her  room  alone. 
Wide-eyed  and  tearless,  she  looked  out  from 
her  shoji  at  the  ghostly  snow  which  shrouded 

43 


44 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


her  beloved  trees  and  flowers  in  so  cold  and 
chilly  a  garment,  eerily  touched  by  the  moon- 
rays.  She  heard,  without  heeding,  the  move- 
ment and  stir  within  the  pahce ;  the  mufHed 
beat  of  a  drum  without  quickly  hushed. 
Early  in  the  gray  morning  the  royal  visitors 
arrived.  Sado-ko  knew  that  some  catastro- 
phe was  about  to  fall  upon  the  palace  and 
her  beloved  grandmother,  and  so  she  waited 
through  the  night  for  the  end. 

She  did  not  know  that  below  in  the  sick 
chamber  the  heartbroken  Emperor  knelt  on  his 
knees  by  the  side  of  his  mother  and  besought 
her,  like  any  ordinary  man,  to  speak  but  one 
word  to  him,  to  express  but  one  wish  ere  she 
must  leave  him.  The  Dowager  Empress 
opened  her  tired  eyes,  attempting  to  speak. 
She  could  only  murmur  in  the  faintest  of 
voices,  so  that  her  son  scarcely  caught  the 
words :  — 

"  Sado-ko  —  Pray  thee  to  care  for  — 
Sado-ko ! " 

Then  her  eyes  closed  as  though  the  effort 
at  speech    had   been    too   much  for  her,  but 


i    > 


AH 


AN   EMPEROR'S   PROMISE 


45 


the  Emperor  knew  that  she  heard  the  words 
he  spoke  into  her  ears. 

"  Divine  mother,  the  Princess  Sado-ko  shall 
have  my  personal  care.  She  shall  be  nur- 
tured and  cared  for  as  the  highest  princess 
in  Japan,  and  when  she  has  attained  to  a  fit- 
ting age  the  greatest  honor  in  my  power  shall 
be  given  to  her." 

There  was  no  further  sign  from  the  Dowa- 
ger Empress. 

"  Princess  !  "  called  a  voice  penetrating  the 
darkened  room,  by  the  shoji  of  which  the 
child  crouched  dully.     "  Noble  princess  !  " 

Sado-ko  did  not  stir,  though  she  looked 
with  wide  eyes  toward  the  sliding  door  through 
which  came  her  maiden  Natsu,  holding  care- 
fully above  her  head  a  lighted  andon.  She 
had  not  seen  the  little  figure  by  the  shoji,  and 
she  shuffled  toward  the  couch.  A  startled 
exclamation  escaped  her  when  she  discovered 
that  the  couch  was  empty.  At  that  the  prin- 
cess called  to  her  in  a  strange  voice,  which 
seemed  somehow  unlike  her  own. 

"  I  am  here,  honorable  maid." 


46 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


The  woman  hastened  forward,  the  light  still 
swinging  over  her  head.  She  stopped  aghast 
before  the  still  little  figure  of  the  princess, 
who  was,  she  could  see,  fully  dressed.  It  was 
plain  that  the  child  had  robed  herself  with  her 
own  hands,  after  she  had  left  her  for  the  night. 

The  maid  set  the  andon  down,  then  touched 
the  floor  with  her  head.  After  her  obeisance 
she  went  nearer  to  Sado-ko,  and  spoke  with 
the  familiarity  which  years  in  the  child's  ser- 
vice had  allowed  her. 

"  Thou  art  not  unrobed,  noble  princess  !  " 

"  I  have  not  slept,"  said  the  child,  quietly. 

The  maid  seized  her  hands  with  an  exclama- 
tion of  pity. 

"The  hands  are  like  ice!"  she  exclaimed 
immediately.     "  Exalted  princess,  you  are  ill !  " 

"  No,"  said  Sado-ko,  shaking  her  head,  "  I 
am  not  ill,  Natsu-no.  But  tell  me  your 
mission.  Why  do  you  come  so  early  to  my 
chamber? " 

There  was  nothing  childlike  now  in  the 
grave  glance  of  Sado-ko's  eyes.  She  seemed 
to  have  aged  over  night.     At  her  words  the 


AN  EMPEROR'S  PROMISE 


47 


maid  burst  into  tears,  beat  her  hands  against 
her  breast,  and  finally  bent  her  head  to  the 
floor.  The  princess  waited  in  silence  until 
the  maid  had  regained  somewhat  of  her  com- 
posure. Then  she  said  severely,  quite  in  the 
manner  of  her  august  grandparent :  — 

"  Maiden,  such  emotion  is  unseemly.  Speak 
your  mission,  if  you  please." 

"  Oh,  august  princess,  her  Imperial  Maj- 
esty—  "     She  fell  to  weeping  again. 

Sado-ko  leaned  forward,  and  placing  her 
hand  on  the  maid's  shoulder,  peered  into 
her  face. 

"  —  is  dead  ?  "  she  said  in  a  whisper. 

The  maid's  head  bowed  forward  mutely. 
After  that  there  was  a  long  silence.  Then 
Sado-ko  arose  to  her  feet,  her  hands  pressed 
to  her  face  on  either  side.  Her  eyes,  between 
her  little  parted  fingers,  were  staring  out  in 
shocked  horror.  Her  strange  silence  stilled 
the  sobbing  maid,  who  tremulously  arose. 

"And  if  it  please  thee,  noble  princess," 
she  said,  "his  August  Majesty  is  below  and 
commands  thy  immediate  presence." 


48 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


Sado-ko  did  not  speak  or  move.  The 
maid  falteringly  touched  one  of  the  drooping 
sleeves. 

"  Nay,  do  not  look  so,  sweet  mistress,"  she 
implored;  "the  gods  will  not  desert  you. 
His  Majesty  himself  has  deigned  to  adopt 
thee,  and  to-morrow  thou  wilt  go  to  the  great 
capital  as  his  ward." 

Sado-ko's  hands  fell  from  her  face.  Her 
voice  was  not  childlike,  and  quite  hoarse. 

"  Pray  thee,  lead  me  below,  honorable 
maid." 


It  was  lighter  now  in  the  palace,  for  a  wan 
sun  was  creeping  upward  in  the  pale  heavens. 
There  were  signs  of  a  dreary  day  about  to 
dawn.  Through  the  winding  corridors  of  the 
palace  the  princess  and  the  maid  moved  tow- 
ard the  august  chamber  of  death.  At  its 
door  they  paused  and  the  princess's  hand 
dropped  from  that  of  the  maid.  Having 
permitted  her  attendant  to  push  the  sliding 
doors  apart,  she  entered  the  chamber  alone. 
Without,  the  maid  bent  her  face  to  the  mats, 


AN  EMPEROR'S   PROMISE 


49 


stifling  her  sobs  in  her  sleeves.  Within,  the 
little  princess  hesitated  a  moment  in  doubt, 
then  rushed  to  the  death  couch,  threw  her- 
self down  by  the  still  form  there,  and  un- 
mindful of  those  within,  encircled  it  with  her 
arms.  But  no  cry  escaped  her  lips,  for  well 
had  she  been  bred  as  a  Daughter  of  the  Sun- 
god  by  the  old  Empress  Dowager. 

The  days  that  followed  were  hazy  and  un- 
real to  Sado-ko.  Strange  women  and  men, 
with  cold  impassive  faces,  were  about  her  at 
all  times.  She  could  scarcely  tell  one  from 
the  other,  and  it  wearied  her  to  be  forced  to 
listen  to  their  words  Oi  caution  and  counsel. 
Then  she  made  a  journey.  Strangely  enough, 
when  she  was  lifted  into  the  covered  palan- 
quin and  the  curtains  drawn  about  her,  she 
knew  that  now  she  was  to  be  carried  beyond 
the  gray  palace  walls.  The  journey  was  made 
at  night,  and  the  tired  little  princess  slept 
throughout  it,  so  that  she  was  spared  the 
tediousness  of  time. 

In  the  morning  her  eyes  opened  upon  a 
new   world.     As    the   day   streamed    through 


50 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


I 


the  bamboo  curtains  of  her  norimon,  she 
pushed  them  aside,  to  see  that  they  were 
passing  along  what  seemed  to  be  a  stone 
road,  upon  either  side  of  which  were  endless 
buildings  unlike  anything  she  had  ever  seen 
before.  Although  there  were  throngs  of  peo- 
ple everywhere,  a  strange  and  solemn  silence 
prevailed,  as  the  norimon  and  parade  of  the 
princess  passed  along,  and  the  people  bent 
their  heads  to  the  earth.  Sado-ko  could  see 
that  many  of  the  women  and  some  of  the 
men  wept.  She  did  not  know  that  the  whole 
nation  had  gone  into  mourning  for  the  one 
she  had  loved  so  well. 

Sado-ko,  passive  and  unquestioning,  saw  the 
great  funeral  of  the  Empress  Dowager;  a 
dumb  little  shadow,  she  lingered  with  other 
relatives  in  the  hall  for  the  mourners,  and  still, 
with  little  understanding,  she  was  carried  in  her 
norimon  under  the  escort  given  only  to  a  royal 
princess,  through  a  bamboo  grove  and  over  the 
Yumento  Ukibashi  — "  The  Bridge  of 
Dreams."  The  mortuary  hall  was  reached. 
The   Empress    Dowager,  whose   dearest  wish 


AN  EMPEROR'S  PROMISE 


51 


had  been  to  be  buried  close  to  her  summer 
palace,  where  she  had  spent  her  declining 
years,  was  interred  far  away  from  it  among 
the  tombs  of  her  thousand  ancestors. 


\i 


CHAPTER   III 


MASAGO 


-^  I  -j 


.'..■A: 


CHAPTER   III 


MASAGO 


FROM   a  poor  but  honored  farmer  of 
Echizen,  Yamada  Kwacho  had   grown 
to  be  a  rich  and  prominent  merchant  of 
Tokyo.     At  the  advice  of  the  Lord  of  Echi- 
zen, Kwacho  had   gone  to  Tokyo  soon  after 
the  Restoration,  where,  taking  advantage  of  the 
modern  craze  for  Western  things  then  raging 
in  the  capital,  he  had  invested  the  price  of  his 
little  farm  in   one   of  the   first   "  European " 
stores  in  Tokyo.     His  business  had  prospered 
and  grown  rapidly  to  huge  dimensions.     Now, 
while  Kwacho  was  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  he 
found  himself  richer  in  worldly  wealth  than  his 
former  master  the  Lord  of  Echizen  even  in  his 
best  days. 

The   young  farmer  of  Echizen   had   been 
content  to  remain  in  his  humble  class,  though 

55 


56  DAUGHTERS   OF   NiJO 

honors  were  offered   him  by  his   lord.      The 
rich  and   prominent  merchant  of  Tokyo  was 
still  at  heart  the  conservative  and  independent 
young  farmer  of  Echizen.      Despite  the  fact 
that  his  great  wealth  would  have  purchased  for 
him  an  entree  to  a  high  society,  Kwacho  made 
no  effort  to  emerge  from  his  life  of  quiet  and 
obscure  ease.     Possibly,  too,  an  experience  of 
his   early    married    life   caused    him    to   look 
askance  and  with  disfavor  upon  the  lives  of 
the   society   people.      At  all  events  a   pretty 
home  in  a  suburb  of  Tokyo,  and  the  society 
of  a  few  simple  neighbors,  quite  contented  him. 
Whether  the  ambitions  of  Ohano  kept  the 
level  of  those  of  her  husband,  was  not  a  matter 
of  any  determination.     The  mistress  of  a  com- 
fortable home,  the  comely  wife  of  a  respected 
citizen,  and  the  mother  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  she  appeared  contented  with  her  lot. 
There  had  always  been  a  weak  and  soft  ele- 
ment in  the  character  of  Ohano,  however.     In 
youth  it  had  come  near  to  being  the  cause  of 
her  complete  ruin.     But  for  the  sturdy  nature 
of  her  husband,  Ohano  might  never  have  re- 


MASAGO 


57 


covered  morally.  In  latter  years  this  weak- 
ness of  disposition  took  the  form  of  an  almost 
childish  delight  in  dwelling  secretly  in  her  own 
mind  upon  experiences  in  her  life  which  she 
would  not  have  breathed  aloud  even  to  her 
favorite  god,  much  less  to  her  sombre  hus- 
band. Strangely  enough,  too,  Ohano  had  far 
more  affection  for  her  daughter  than  for  her 
sons,  —  a  most  uncommon  thing  in  a  Japanese 
woman. 

As  a  little  girl,  Masago  had  been  remarkable 
chiefly  for  her  docile  and  quiet  ways.  This 
apathy  of  nature,  peculiar  in  a  child  of  her 
class,  had  been  variously  regarded  by  the 
teachers  in  the  public  school  she  had  attended. 
Some  had  pronounced  her  dull  and  even  sullen, 
while  others  insisted  that  her  impassiveness 
showed  an  innate  refinement  and  delicacy  of 
birth  and  caste.  Masago  was  very  pretty  after 
a  delicate  Yamato  fashion.  Unlike  her  sturdy 
young  brothers,  round-faced,  rugged,  and  brim- 
ming over  with  health  and  spirits,  Masago  was 
oval-faced,  her  eyes  were  long  and  dreamy,  her 
mouth  small,  the  lips  thin  and  prettily  curved. 


53  DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 

Ilcr  skin  was  of  a  fine  texture,  and  her  little 
hands  were  quite  as  beautiful  as  those  of  the 
princesses  who  attended  the  Peeresses'  school. 

Masago's  schoolmates  thought  her  quiet  dis- 
position indicative  of  secretivencss  and  even 
slyness.  She  had  never  been  known  to  express 
herself  on  any  question,  though  no  one  gave 
closer  attention  to  any  matter  under  controversy 
than  she.  The  consequence  was  that  as  she 
grew  older  her  girl  friends,  at  first  sceptical  and 
dubious  of  her  quiet,  unexpressive  face,  finally 
ended  in  confiding  to  her  their  various  secrets ; 
for  well  they  knew  that  while  they  might 
expect  no  exchange  of  confidences,  their  secrets 
were  well  guarded  within  Masago's  silent  little 
head  and  as  safe  as  if  unspoken. 

Ohano,  too,  was  quick  to  take  advantage  of 
the  child's  listening  talent  and  receptive  mind. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Masago  was  coming 
to  an  ..ge  when  all  such  confidences  should 
have  been  strictly  kept  from  her,  Ohano  found 
herself  gradually  pouring  out  to  her  daughter 
those  fascinating  and  forbidden  secrets  which 
still   remained  in   her  mind.      She   would  sit 


MASAGO 


59 


opposite  her  daughter  for  hours  at  a  time  and 
describe  irniphically  the  palaces  of  Kyoto.  It 
would  h  we  occurred  to  one  older  than  Masago 
that,  *br  one  in  her  caste,  Ohano's  knowledge  of 
these  places  was  unusual.  But  the  child  asked 
few  questions  and  appeared  to  be  absorbed  in 
her  mother's  glowing  narrative.  Only  once 
she  said,  lifting  her  strange  long  eyes  to  her 
mother's  face  :  — 

"  It  is  in  the  palace  I  belong,  mother,  is  it 
not  ?  "  And  before  Ohano  was  conscious  of 
her  words  she  had  replied  :  — 

"There,  indeed,  you  belong  of  right, 
Masago." 

When  Masago  had  reached  her  seventeenth 
year,  she  expressed  her  first  independent  wish 
to  her  family.  It  was  that  she  be  sent  to  a 
finishing  school  in  Kyoto. 

At  her  suggestion,  made  directly  to  him, 
Kwacho  was  disgruntled.  She  had  had  suffi- 
cient education  for  a  maiden  of  her  class,  he 
insisted.  What  was  more,  he  desired  her  to 
make  an  early  marriage  and  had  already  begun 
negotiations  for  her  betrothal. 


6o 


DAUGHTERS  OF   I'M 


Masago  listened  to  her  father's  words  with- 
out replying,  beyond  a  wordless  bow  of  sub- 
mission to  his  will.  She  did  not  argue  the 
matter  with  him,  since  she  knew  that  Ohano, 
without  diplomacy  and  craft,  had  yet  great 
influence  with  Kwacho.  So  the  young  girl 
went  quietly  to  her  mother,  whom  she  found 
happily  employed  in  washing  a  small  barking 
chin  on  the  rear  veranda  of  the  house.  She 
looked  back  smilingly  at  her  daughter  over  her 
shoulder  as  she  rubbed  the  dog's  twitching 
little  body. 

"  He  is  white  enough,"  said  Masago,  quietly, 
indicating  the  chin  with  a  slight  movement 
of  her  head.  At  this  verdict  Ohano  released 
the  dog.  He  darted  about  the  veranda  for 
a  moment,  shaking  his  still  wet  little  body, 
then  rushed  through  the  shoji  indoors,  dis- 
appearing under  a  mat  over  a  warm  hibachi, 
where  he  shivered  in  comfort. 

Ohano  emptied  out  the  water  across  a 
flower  bed,  and  unrolled  her  sleeves.  She 
was  flushed  with  her  exercise,  and  the  water 
had  splashed  her  gown.     Her  hair,  too,  was 


m 


MASAGO 


6i 


dishevelled,  but  she  was  the  picture  of  the 
healthy  housewife,  as  she  turned  to  her 
daughter. 

The  latter,  in  her  perfect  neatness,  made 
a  contrast  to  the  mother,  who  surveyed  her 
with  fond  approval. 

"  Well,  Masago,  have  you  finished  your 
embroidery  ?  "  she  asked  pleasantly. 

The  girl  shook  her  head  silently. 

"  Go,  then ;  get  your  frame  now,"  said 
Ohano,  "and  we  will  work  together." 

"  No,"  said  Masago,  seating  herself  on  a 
veranda  mat,  id  leaning  back  against  the 
railing,  "  I  don't  want  to  work.  I  want  to 
talk  to  you." 

Ohano's  plump  body  quickly  seated  itself 
opposite  Masago.  The  opportunity  for  a 
morning  gossip  with  Masago  was  something 
she  never  denied  herself. 

She  had  just  opened  her  mouth  to  begin, 
when  Masago  quietly  put  her  hand  over  the 
red  orifice. 

"  No ;  do  not  speak  for  a  moment,  mother, 
but  listen  to  me." 


62 


DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 


iM  a 


r^ 


Masago  smiled  faintly  at  the  expression  in 
her  mother's  eyes  and  continued  rapidly :  — 

"  Listen.  I  am  seventeen  years  now,  —  old 
enough,  almost,  my  father  says,  to  be  married. 
But  I  do  not  wish  to  marry." 

"But  —  "  began  Ohano. 

"  No ;  do  not  interrupt  me.  I  want  to  go 
away  to  school,  —  a  private  school  in  Kyoto, 
where  other  rich  men  send  their  daughters, 
and  where  I,  too,  can  sometimes  sec  those 
palaces  and  maybe  the  noble  ladies  and 
gentlemen  you  have  told  me  so  much  about." 

"  But,  Masago,  every  maiden  of  your  age 
wishes  to  marry;  and  your  father  has 
chosen  —  " 

"  Let  me  finish,  if  you  please,  or  I  will 
not  talk  to  you  at  all.  I  do  not  know  why 
it  is,  but  I  have  no  desire  to  marry ;  and 
sometimes  I  feel  like  one  who  is  stifling  in 
this  miserable  little  town.  Why  should  we, 
who  have  more  wealth  than  many  of  those 
in  Tokyo  who  live  in  palaces,  be  caged  up 
here,  like  birds  with  clipped  wings.?  What 
is  the  use  of  having  that  wealth  if  we  may 


k 


MASAGO 


63 


not  use  it?  Oh,  there  are  so  many  joyful 
happenings  in  the  capital  every  day  and  every 
night.  I  read  about  it  in  those  papers  which 
father  brings  home  sometimes  from  Tokyo. 
The  city  is  so  gay  and  brilliant,  mother,  and 
there  are  so  many  peculiar  foreigners  to  see. 
I  was  made  for  such  a  place  —  not  for  thi" 
dull,  quiet  town.  Why,  I  would  even  be 
content  to  see  all  this  as  an  outsider,  but  to 
have  to  remain  here  when —     Oh!' 

She  struck  her  hands  together  with  an  elo- 
quent motion.  Ohano  stared  at  her  aghast, 
regarding  her  flushing  face  and  snapping  eyes. 

"Oh,  mother,"  she  continued,  " many  people 
say  I  do  not  belong  here.  They  recognize 
my  difference  from  themselves,  —  everybody 
here.  You  know  it  is  so.  Ever  since  I  was 
a  little  girl  when  you  would  tell  me  the  fairy 
tales  of  those  palaces  in  Kyoto  — " 

"They  were  not  fairy  tales,"  said  Ohano, 
gently. 

"  No,  but  I  thought  them  so  — then.  And 
I  imagined  that  some  day  the  gods  would 
befriend  me,  and  that  I  would  belong  to  that 


I      1 


64 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


a 


joyful  world  of  which  you  spoke.  And  now 
to  come  to  seventeen  years  and  to  be  given 
right  away  in  marriage  to  some  foolish  youth 
before  I  have  had  any  chance  to  see  — " 

Her  voice  broke,  and  her  emotion  was  so 
unusual  a  thing  that  Ohano  could  not  bear 
to  see  it.  Both  her  heart  and  tongue  were 
stirred. 

"  You  have  a  right  to  see  it,"  she  said. 
"You  belong  to  it  —  are  a  part  of  it,  Masago. 
Your  own  father  is  —  " 

She  clapped  her  hands  over  her  mouth  in 
consternation  and  sudden  fright  at  what  she 
was  about  to  divulge. 

Masago  became  very  white,  her  eyes  dilated, 
her  thin  nostrils  quivered.  She  fixed  her 
strange,  long  eyes  full  on  those  of  her  mother. 
Then  she  seized  her  by  the  shoulders.  She 
spoke  in  a  whisper:  — 

"You  have  something  to  tell  me.  Now  — 
speak  at  once." 

Half  an  hour  later  Masago  was  alone  on 
the  veranda  of  her  home.  She  sat  in  an 
attitude  of  intense  absorption.     Her  downcast 


m 


MASAGO 


65 


eyes  were  looking  at  the  slender  fingers  of  her 
hands,  spread  out  in  her  lap.  They  were 
thin,  shapely  little  fingers,  the  nails  rosy  and 
perfect  in  shape.  Masago  had  been  studying 
them  absently  for  some  time.  Suddenly  she 
held  up  one  little  hand,  then  slowly  brought 
it  to  her  face. 

"  That  was  the  reason  they  were  so  beauti- 
ful —  my  hands  !  "  she  said  softly. 

That  night  Ohano  would  not  let  her  hus- 
band sleep  until  he  had  made  her  a  promise. 
They  lay  on  their  respective  mattresses  under 
the  same  mosquito  netting.  It  was  quite  in 
vain  for  Kwacho  to  sleep  while  the  voice  of 
Ohano  droned  on.  After  listening  for  fully 
two  hours  to  a  steadv  stream  of  childish  elo- 
quence  and  reproach,  and  answering  only  in 
gruff'monosyllables,  he  sprang  up  in  bed  and 
demanded  of  his  better  half  whether  she  in- 
tended to  remain  awake  all  night.  Whereat 
that  small  but  stubborn  individual  raised  her- 
self also,  and,  propping  her  elbows  on  her 
knees,  informed  the  irate  Kwacho  that  such 
was  her  intention,  and  that,  in  fact,  she  did 


h 


66 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


-  !i 


not  expect  to  sleep  any  night  again  until  he 
had  made  some  concession  to  the  ambition 
of  their  only  daughter,  which,  after  all,  was  a 
most  praiseworthy  one,  —  a  desire  for  more 
learning. 

Kwacho's  answer  was  not  the  result  of  a 
sudden  appreciation  of  Masago's  virtues,  but 
he  was  sleepy  and  tired,  too.  There  was 
much  to  be  done  at  the  store  on  the  mor- 
row, and  Ohano's  suggestion  that  she  intended 
to  keep  awake  for  other  nights  was  not  a  rel- 
ishing prospect. 

'*  She  shall  go  on  one  condition,"  he  said. 

"Yes?"  eagerly  inquired  his  wife. 

"That  she  is  first  betrothed  to  Kamura 
Junzo." 

"  There  will  be  no  trouble  as  to  that,"  said 
Ohano,  with  conviction,  and  lying  down  drew 
the  quilt  over  her.  A  few  minutes  later  the 
twain  were  at  rest. 


n 


CHAPTER   IV 


A  BETROTHAL 


'I    ,! 


^f^l^^:^' 


<3^ 


%^ 


If 


:f 
11- 


i^i 


CHAPTER   IV 


A    BETROTHAL 


THE  following  morning  an  early  mes- 
senger brought  a  letter  to  the  Kamura 
residence.  The  family  were  at  break- 
fast, but  as  the  messenger  came  from  the  elder 
Kamura's  old  Echizen  friend,  Yamada  Kwacho, 
it  was  opened  and  read  at  once.  Its  contents, 
while  surprising,  were  most  pleasing  to  the 
family.  Kwacho  made  an  overture  to  con- 
tract a  betrothal  between  their  eldest  son, 
Junzo,  and  his  only  daughter,  Masago. 

Junzo  at  this  time  was  in  Tokyo,  where 
he  had  been  living  ever  since  he  had  returned 
from  abroad.  He  was  winning  fame  for  him- 
self as  a  sculptor,  —  an  art  quite  new  to  Japan 
in  its  Western  form,  —  and  the  family  were 
proud  of  his  achievements.  This  new  mark 
of   compliment   from    their    esteemed   friend, 

69 


If! 


70 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


'i    ^1 


a 


kl 


the  wealthy  Mr.  Yamada,  naturally  flattered 
the  Kamura  family  immensely.  The  mes- 
senger was  sent  back  to  the  Yamada  house 
with  as  gracious  letter  as  the  one  received, 
and  gifts  of  flowers  and  tea.  The  invitation 
of  Mr.  Yamada  for  a  conference  at  his  house 
the  day  following,  in  which  the  young  couple 
might  also  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
each  other  and  becoming  acquainted,  was  ac- 
cepted. Another  messenger  was  despatched 
at  once  to  Junzo  in  Tokyo,  and  the  family 
congratulated  themselves  upon  what  they  con- 
sidered their  good  fortune. 

Junzo  read  his  father's  letter  with  a  degree 
of  irritation  altogether  out  of  keeping  with  the 
pride  in  the  proposal  manifested  by  the  rest  of 
his  family.  An  extraordinary  piece  of  fortune 
had  recently  come  to  Junzo,  and  the  subject  of 
his  marriage  seemed  a  matter  of  trivial  impor- 
tance beside  it.  He  had,  in  fact,  been  commis- 
sioned to  make  a  statue  of  the  Prince  Komatzu, 
the  war  hero  of  the  time,  who  had  distinguished 
himself  by  his  brave  conduct  in  the  Formosa 
aflfair.     Junzo  knew  that  upon  this  work  his 


A    BETROTH  \L 


7« 


future  career  would  depend,  and  that  should  he 
please  his  illustrious  patron  he  would  doubtless 
have  an  opportunity  of  doing  more  work  for 
the  court ;  for  at  this  time  the  nobility  of  Japan 
emulated  everything  modern  and  Western,  and 
it  had  become  the  fashion  for  the  gentlemen  of 
the  court  to  sit  for  their  portraits  in  oil,  though 
as  yet  none  of  the  ladies  had  gone  quite  so  far. 

Junzo's  impatiei  ce,  therefore,  at  his  father's 
summons  to  return  home  for  the  consumma- 
tion of  his  betrothal  to  a  young  lady  whom  he 
had  never  seen,  may  be  surmised.  Being  a  well- 
bred  and  obedient  son,  however,  he  departed  at 
once  for  his  home,  breaking  a  number  of  en- 
gagements in  so  doing. 

As  the  train  from  Tokyo  carried  Junzo  to 
Kamakura,  the  young  man,  while  watching  the 
flying  landscape  from  his  window,  thought  with 
some  natural  curiosity  of  his  bride  to  be.  Her 
father  and  mother  he  had  met.  Upon  two  or 
three  occasions  he  had  seen  her  little  brothers 
playing  in  the  fields.  His  active  imagination 
soon  pictured  Masago.  She  would,  of  course, 
be  plump  and  rosy-cheeked  like  her  mother, 


m 


^, 


7* 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


i  ,j 


pretty  perhaps,  thought  Juiizo,  but  lacking  in 
that  grace  and  spirituality  that  to  him  was  the 
ideal  of  true  beauty. 

When  his  own  grandsires  had  been  samurai 
in  the  service  of  the  Lords  of  Echi/en,  this  girl's 
ancestors  had  tilled  the  soil.  Still,  times  were 
changed.  The  samurai  had  fallen,  and  the 
tradesman  and  farmer  had  risen.  Now  the 
descendants  of  the  samurai  drew  the  jinrikisha 
containing  the  fat  merchant,  or  policed  the 
streets  of  big  cities  for  the  glory  of  still  wear- 
ing a  sword.  Moreover,  the  elder  Kamura 
was  in  sympathy  with  the  modern  spirit  of  the 
times,  and  had  accepted  favors  from  the  hand 
of  Yamada  Kwacho.  Besides,  the  latter  had  not 
been  without  honor  in  Echizen ;  and,  after  all, 
his  own  family  —  the  once  proud  samurai  family 
of  Kamura  —  were  now  but  simple  citizens, 
nothing  more. 

"  The  Restoration  was  right  and  just,"  said 
Junzo,  and  smoothed  out  the  frown  from  his 
patrician  face.  "And  after  all,"  he  added  to 
his  thought,  "  this  girl  of  the  people  will  be  a 
more  fitting  wife  than    n   woman    of  modern 


^ 


A    BKTROTHAL 


73 


fancies,  such  as  have  become  the  ladies  of 
caste." 

Masago's  aspect  pleased,  surprised  —  nay, 
quite  bewildered  Junzo.  When  at  the  loolc-at 
meeting  she  had  raised  her  head  finally  from 
its  low  obeisance,  Junzo  had  been  startled  at 
its  delicate  beauty.  It  shocked  him  to  see  a 
flower  so  exquisitely  lovely  and  delicate  sur- 
rounded by  relatives  so  completely  plebeian. 

During  the  entire  visit  Junzo  found  his  eyes 
constantly  straying  toward  his  betrothed. 
When  she  moved  about  the  room,  and  with 
her  own  hands  served  him  tea,  he  noted  with 
delight  her  grace  of  movement,  and  the  symme- 
try of  her  figure. 

When  tea  had  been  served  and  drunk,  he 
found  her  close  beside  him.  She  had  moved 
dutifully  there  at  a  signal  from  her  father ;  and 
now,  as  his  betrothed,  she  quietly  filled  the 
long-stemmed  pipe  for  him,  and  lighted  it  at 
the  hibachi.  As  he  took  it  from  her  hands, 
their  eyes  met  for  the  first  time.  Junzo, 
though  thrilled  by  the  glance  of  her  eyes,  felt 
curiously  enough  repulsed.     There  was  some- 


74 


DAUGHFERS   OF   NIJO 


'^  s^ 


thing  forbidding,  almost  menacing,  in  their 
glance.  A  moment  later  the  long  lashes  were 
shielding  them.  Then  the  young  man  noted 
that  she  had  not  as  much  as  changed  color,  but 
still  was  calmly  white  and  unmoved.  A  feel- 
ing of  uneasiness  possessed  him.  His  delight 
in  her  beauty  was  chilled. 

Once  only  throughout  the  afternoon  did  she 
show  interest  in  the  conversation.  This  was 
when  Junzo  had  told  his  father-in-law  to  be,  of 
a  prospective  visit  to  court  to  make  a  statue  of 
a  national  hero.  Then  she  had  raised  her 
head  suddenly,  and  Junzo  had  stumbled  over 
his  words  in  the  glow  of  artistic  appreciation  he 
felt  of  the  beautiful  pink  color  flooding  her  face. 

The  elder  Kamura  thought  his  son's  mod- 
esty in  not  mentioning  the  fact  of  the  commis- 
sion he  had  already  received  unnecessary  in  a 
family  soon  to  become  his  own  ;  and  so  he  said, 
as  he  tapped  the  ashes  from  his  pipe  on  the 
hibachi : — 

"  My  son  has  been  commanded  to  make  a 
statue  of  his  Imperial  Highness  the  Prince 
Komatzu." 


A    BF-TROTHAL 


75 


The   little   cuj-      hich    Masago   had   lifted 
toward  her  lips  U  a  suddenly  from  her  hand, 
its  contents  spilling  on  the  tray.     She  seemed 
scarcely   conscious   of  its   fall,  as   she  turned 
an   eager   and   flushed    face   toward    Kaniura. 
She  spoke  for  the  first   time,  repeating  half 
mechaaically  his  words :  — 
«  The  Prince  Komatzu  —  " 
"  Yes,"  said  Kamura,  affably,  "  a  cousin  of 
his    Imperial    Majesty,"   and    he   bowed    his 
head   to  the  mats   in  old-fashioned   deference 
to  the  name  of  the  Mikado. 

"Why,"  spoke  up  the  simple  Ohano,  her 
eyes  wide  and  bright,  "we  have  his  august 
picture." 

Her  husband  looked  at  her  in  astonishment. 
"You   have  a  picture  of  his    Highness?" 
he  inquired  incredulously.    "  How  is  that  pos- 
sible, Ohano  ? " 

"  Masago  cut  it  from  a  Chinese  magazine 
you  brought  home  last  month,"  said  the 
wife,  "and  it  was  such  a  beautiful  picture 
she  has  put  it  away  among  her  treasures,  have 
you  not,  Masago  ?  " 


i  1 


t^ 


.^i 


76 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


The  girl's  eyes  were  downcast,  and  she  did 
not  raise  them.  She  knew  by  the  silence  in 
the  room  that  her  answer  was  awaited  by 
the  company,  but  she  could  not  move  her 
lips  to  speak.  Then  she  he.ird  Junzo  an- 
swering quietly  for  her:  — 

"He  is  certainly  the  most  admirable  hero 
we  have,  and  one  that  it  honors  our  nation 
to  idolize." 

His  words  were  rewarded  by  a  glance  from 
the  eyes  she  raised  in  timid  gratitude.  It 
was  but  for  a  moment;  then  her  head  was 
bent  again. 

For  a  week  Junzo  saw  his  fiancee  daily.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  he  accompanied  her 
with  her  family  a  portion  of  the  way  to  Kyoto, 
whither  she  went  to  attend  school  for  a  year. 
Junzo  then  proceeded  alone  to  Tokyo,  and 
on  his  journey  back  his  musings  of  his  future 
bride  were  as  vague  and  unsatisfactory  as 
when   he  had  come. 


L 


CHAPTER   V 


i\- 


GOSSIP  OF  THE   COURT 


m 


imiMWP'-iio--- 


u 


'] 


CHAPTER  V 


n 


GOSSIP    OF   THE    COURT 

IT  was  early  afternoon.  The  ladies  in  the 
Komatzu  palace  were  taking  their  noon- 
day siesta,  and  idly  discussing  the  work 
of  the  artist,  Kamura  Junzo.  Since  he  had 
become  a  favorite  among  them,  many  of  the 
ladies  wished  that  he  could  be  retained  in 
the  palace  a  little  longer. 

As  they  sipped  their  amber  tea  indolently 
in  one  of  the  chambers  of  the  palace,  they 
gossiped  with  the  freedom  common  to  the 
women  of  the  West  rather  than  the  East. 

"  Now,"  said  the  little  Countess  IMatsuka, 
handing  her  cup  to  a  page,  "  if  we  were  only 
so  fortunate  as  to  have  two  Imperial  heroes 
instead  of  one  !  " 

A  languorous  beauty,  swinging  lazily  in  a 
Dutch  hammock,  raised  herself  upon  an  elbow. 

79 


8o 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"  But  the  heroes  nowadays  are  all  heimins  " 
(commoners),  she  said  with  soft  scorn. 

"  Oh,  Duchess  Aoi,"  laughed  a  pretty  young 
woman,  who,  more  industrious,  was  working 
at  an  embroidery  frame,  "  how  can  you  say 
so?     There  are  no  heimins  to-day." 

"Oh,  true,"  responded  the  other,  crossly, 
"there  is  no  caste  to-day.  The  heimin  has 
become  the  politician." 

"Yes,"  said  the  pretty  one  at  the   frame, 
"and  the  politician  rules  and  owns  Nippon." 
The  Duchess  Aoi  sat  up  aggressively. 
"  You  appear  to  have  the  confidence  of  the 
diplomats,  O  Lady  Fuji-no,"  said  she. 
Fuji  tossed  her  head  in  malicious  silence. 
"  Noble  ladies  !  "  came  the  warning  voice  of 
the    elderly    mentor-chaperon.      "  It     is     too 
warm  to  engage  the  august  voice  in  argument. 
Let  us  have  music." 

The  Duchess  Aoi  shrugged  her  shapely 
shoulders. 

"The  court  geishas  are  busy  in  the  male  quar- 
ters," she  said,  "and  the  foreign  band  has 
broken  our  ear-drums." 


GOSSIP  OF  THE   COURT 


8i 


One  of  the  ladies  laughed. 

"  Besides,"  she  added  to  Aoi's  speech,  "  we 
don't  want  the  foreign  music  in  our  private 
halls.     It  is  enough  for  state  occasions." 

"  I  enjoy  it  augustly  well,"  said  a  stiff  little 
lady  sitting  uncomfortably  in  her  Paris  gown 
on  an  English  chair,  who  bore  the  euphonious 
name  of  Yu-giri  (Evening  Mist).  She  was  the 
only  one  of  the  company  who  wore  European 
costume.  The  others  were  glad  enough  to 
revel  in  the  comfortable  enjoyment  of  the 
kimono. 

"If  her  Royal  Highness  were  not  so  augustly 
eccentric,  she  might  set  the  example,"  said  the 
Countess  Matsuka,  thoughtfully. 

"  Which  Highness,  countess  ?  " 

"  There  is  only  one  Royal  Highness  in  the 
palace  now,"  said  Lady  Fuji,  smiling  up  from 
her  frame,  —  "the  Princess  Sado-ko." 

Aoi  tossed  her  head  angrily.  Her  mother 
had  been  a  concubine  of  one  of  the  Imperial 
princes,  and  she  was  of  the  blood.  Yet  she 
was  maid  of  honor  to  the  Princess  Sado-ko, 
for  whom  she  had  no  love. 


i  >1 

'I 


82 


DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 


n 


I  1; 


"  And  what  example  might  she  set  ? "  Aoi 
inquired  with  evident  disdain. 

"That  of  sitting  for  her  portrait  to  be 
painted,"  explained  the  Countess  Matsuka. 

All  of  the  ladies  now  showed  extreme  in- 
terest in  the  subject,  and  several  began  to  speak 
at  oner. 

"  Oh,  but  she  would  never  countenance  it !  " 

"  She  fairly  despises  the  ways  of  us 
moderns." 

"Just  to  think,  it  is  in  her  power  to  keep 
our  charming  artist  at  court  indefinitely." 

"  But  how  lovely  to  have  all  our  pictures 
painted.  We,  of  course,  would  all  follow 
suit. 

"  —  if  she  would  only  set  the  fashion." 

"Well,  ladies,"  said  the  Lady  Fuji,  "the 
princess  is  not  our  fashion-plate,  surely.  We 
do  not  follow  her,  it  would  seem.  If  we 
did  —  " 

"  We  should  live  like  cloistered  priestesses," 
said  the  one  in  the  hammock. 

"  Yes,  seclude  ourselves  from  the  sight  of 
the  whole  court,"  said  she  of  the  Paris  gown. 


GOSSIP  OF    THE  COURT 


«3 


"  Then  why  need  we  await  her  august  ex- 
ample?" asked  the  Lady  Fuji. 

"  Because  we  are  cowards  —  all,"  said  the 
Countess  Matsuka.  "To  sit  for  our  pictures 
just  like  any  of  the  barbarians  is  too  much  of 
an  innovation  for  any  of  the  humble  ones  to 
start  at  court." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Fuji,  "who  is  brave 
enough  to  suggest  it  to  the  princess  ?  She  is 
both  conservative  and  unconventional,  and  who 
knows  she  might  take  a  fancy  to  the  idea  and 
consent  ? " 

"  Well,  suppose  you  suggest  it  to  her." 

"  I  ?  Oh,  indeed,  I  am  too  honorably  insig- 
nificant." 

Then  you,  countess." 

Oh  no,  indeed ;  I  am  still  smarting  under 
the  sting  of  her  little  royal  tongue." 

"  Ah,  you  are  too  fulsome  in  your  flattery 
to  her,  countess,"  said  Lady  Fuji-no.  "  Diplo- 
macy and  tact  with  her  Highness  should 
take    the   form   of  frankness,   even    brusque- 


« ' 


tt 


ness. 


Yes,"  said  the  one  in  the  hammock,  sarcas- 


k  1 


I        ^ 

i 


«4 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


tically, "  I  noted  the  effect  of  your  diplomacy 
the  other  morning." 

Lady  Fuji-no  colored,  and  bent  her  head 
above   her  work. 

"  Oh,  these  days,  these  days  !  "  groaned  the 
elderly  lady,  who  was  both  chaperon  and 
mentor  to  the  others.  "  Now,  in  my  insignifi- 
cant youth  it  would  have  been  a  crime  of 
treason  to  speak  with  disrespect  of  a  royal 
princess." 

"  But  you  see,"  was  the  quick  retort,  "  what 
happened  to  your  august  days,  Madame  Bara. 
They  are  quite,  quite  snuffed  out.  To-day  is  — 
to-day  !  We  are  modern  —  Western  —  if  it 
please  you ! " 

"  Yes,"  assented  the  Paris  gown,  "  that  is  it 
exactly." 

"  While  the  Princess  Sado-ko  remains  — 
Eastern." 

Lady  Fuji,  at  the  frame,  had  found  her  voice 
again.  The  Duchess  Aoi  in  the  hammock 
closed  her  eyes  contemptuously. 

"  The  day  is  long,"  she  said,  "  and  our  con- 
versation most  dull." 


GOSSIP  OF  THE   COURT 


«5 


"  Well,  wc  have  not  solved  the  question  yet," 
said  the  anxious  little  Countess  Matsuka. 

"  Oh,  let  the  artist  go,"  yawned  one  of  the 
company,  who  had  nor  yet  spoken. 

There  was  a  hubbub  of  dissent  to  this. 

"  And  leave  us  to  the  mercies  of  Komatzu's 
dandies  ? " 

"  The  artist  fellow  is  entertaining.  He  is 
preferable  to  a  geisha." 

"  Oh,  what  a  comparison  !  " 

"  Well,  ladies,"  said  Madame  Bam,  sooth- 
ingly, "you  will  soon  be  back  in  Tokyo." 

«  Yes,  thank  Shaka  ! " 

"  Summer  creeps." 

"  The  Prince  Komatzu  would  not  be  flattered, 
ladies,  at  your  boredom  in  his  summer  home," 
said  Madame  Bara. 

"Then  the  prince  should  choose  more 
entertaining  gentlemen  for  his  household," 
retorted  Lady  Fuji-no.  "  Now,  in  the  palace 
Nijo-" 

"  Oh,  it  is  well,  well,  to  be  in  favor  at  the 
palace  Nijo,"  said  the  Duchess  Aoi,  meaningly  ; 
and  instantly  the  several  eyes  of  the  company 


MICROCOPY   RESOIUTION   TEST   CHART 

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86 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


n 


were  focussed  on  the  flushing  face  of  Fuji,  for 
it  was  quite  well  known  that  Nijo  had  shown 
her  marked  favor  of  late. 

"  For  my  part,"  said  the  chaperon  didacti- 
cally, "I  should  be  honored  to  be  the  exalted 
guest  of  his  Imperial  Highness.  Why  surely, 
ladies,  you  will  confess  that  without  a  doubt  he 
is  the  most  brilliant  and  noble  gentleman  of 
the  court. 

The  Duchess  Aoi  turned  her  face  away.  A 
feverish  color  flushed  her  cheeks.  She  could 
not  speak. 

"  He  is  just  exactly  like  the  statue  that  the 
artist  has  made  of  him,"  said  Lady  Fuji-no. 

"  But  the  statue  is  sublime,"  said  Madame 

Bara. 

"  Yes.     But  it  is  marble,  madame." 

There  was  silence  a  moment,  while  the  Lady 
Fuji  carefully  folded  her  work,  then  the 
Duchess  Aoi  turned  her  flushing  face :  — 

"  Is  it  any  wonder  that  he  is  marble  ? "  she 
said.  "He  is  betrothed  to  the  Princess 
Sado-ko." 

"  Poor  prince  !  "  said  Lady  Fuji. 


l! 


CHAPTER   VI 


THE  PRINCESS  SADO-KO 


I!       )l 


'i  i 


Jf 


I 


Uj,! 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    PRINCESS    SADO-KO 

WHILE  the  ladies  of  the  household 
of  the  Princess  Sado-ko,  and  guests 
of  her  cousin  the  Prince  Komatzu, 
were  gossiping  over  their  noonday  tea,  Kamura 
Junzo,  alone,  was  wandering  aimlessly  about 
the  palace  gardens.  He  was  melancholy  and 
restless.  Instead  of  being  satisfied  with  his 
success,  Junzo  was  disappointed.  He  could 
not  have  explained  why  this  was  so.  His 
patron  had  been  pleased  with  his  work,  he 
had  received  marked  attention  and  favor  from 
those  in  power  at  court,  and  finally  was  actu- 
ally being  petted  by  the  ladies.  Perhaps  it 
was  this  latter  enervating  thing  that  rendered 
the  young  man  disappointed  and  disgusted. 

Court  life  had  not  proved,  after  all,  what  he 
had  fancied  and  pictured.      Nobility,  such  as 

89 


^M 


s|<     I 


!  '  ii 


''    V 


{ 
IB' 


90 


DAUGHIERS   OF   NIJO 


he  had  anticipated,  was  there  only  in  name. 
Here  in  this  small  court  of  the  noblest  prince 
of  the  blood,  gossip  and  scandal  buzzed  like 
the  swarming  of  bees. 

Junzo  did  not  wonder  that  the  Princess 
Sado-ko  kept  herself  in  seclusion  in  her  pri- 
vate wing  of  the  palace.  In  spite  of  the  curi- 
ous tales  he  had  heard  of  her  eccentricities,  he 
felt  a  glow  of  sympathy  for  her.  Plainly  she 
disapproved  of  the  life  about  her. 

As  he  strolled  about  the  castle  gardens, 
Junzo's  memory  carried  him  back  into  the 
days  of  his  childhood.  A  picture  grew  up 
in  his  mind  of  a  great  stone  wall  and  a  cherry 
tree  which  drooped  above  it,  and  underneath 
the  cherry  tree  a  small,  bewitching  creature  in 
a  miniature  kimono  and  the  roya!  kanzashi 
in  her  hair. 

He  was  smiling  to  himself  in  a  tender,  un- 
conscious way,  when  he  came  to  a  bamboo 
gate,  which  served  as  entrance  through  the 
hedge  of  boxwood  which  divided  the  portion 
of  the  gardens  in  which  he  was  from  those 
Junzo  knew  were  always  reserved  for  the  royal 


u 


^ 


THE   PRINCESS   SADO-KO 


9' 


ladies  of  the  family.  Now  he  knew  also  that 
Komatzu  was  an  orphan  without  sisters,  and 
that  his  cousin  Sado-ko  was  the  only  lady 
who  ever  occupied  this  portion  of  the  palace. 

Pausing  before  the  gate,  Junzo  thought  that 
as  a  boy  he  would  not  have  hesitated  to  push 
it  open  and  penetrate  into  the  forbidden  terri- 
tory beyond.  He  would  like  now  to  take 
a  peep  into  this  garden  of  Sado-ko.  If  he 
should  chance  to  meet  her,  might  he  not  crave 
mercy  in  the  name  of  that  game  they  had 
played  as  children  together  in  the  gardens  of 
the  palace  Aoyama?  She  might  be  gracious 
still.  So  far  it  had  not  been  his  fortune  to 
see  her  in  the  palace  Komatzu,  for  she  was 
seldom  in  the  public  places  of  the  palace.  He 
had  an  insatiable  curiosity  to  see  how  she 
had  changed  since  childhood. 

So  he  stepped  across  into  the  private  gar- 
dens, making  his  way  toward  the  bamboo  grove, 
through  which  he  passed  on  toward  the  little 
river  which  he  could  see  in  a  valley  beyond, 
twisting  and  babbling  like  a  brook.  But  when 
he  came  to  the  other  end  of  the  grove  he  per- 


n  «■ 


IJ 


if 


i  m 


\m 


i   Si 

i 

i    - 


t  ll 


i 


92 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


ceived  that  the  garden  was  unlike  those  of  the 
palace  Aoyama,  which  was  softly  enclosed  on 
all  sides  with  trees  and  bushes.  Here  the 
walks  were  sanded  and  the  landscape  scenery 
was  in  miniature.  There  were  flower  beds 
and  clumps  of  bamboo.  Stately  white  jars 
containing  rare  ferns  were  placed  at  intervals 
in  the  centre  of  the  rounded  lawns,  while  the 
walks  were  lined  with  pretty  sea-shells  and 
white  pebbles. 

Junzo  soon  realized  that  this  was  not  a 
garden  in  which  he  could  remain  for  long 
unobserved.  He  was  about  to  retrace  his 
steps  when  he  perceived  coming  toward  him 
along  the  path  a  young  girl,  whose  arms  were 
so  full  of  blossoms  that  her  face  was  partially 
hidden.  As  it  was  too  late  for  him  now  to 
retreat,  he  stood  where  he  was,  respectfully 
waiting  for  her  to  approach. 

She  hastened  up  the  path  toward  him,  and 
as  she  appeared  to  be  absorbed  in  her  own 
meditations  and  had  not  so  far  glanced  in  his 
direction,  Junzo  stepped  backward  toward  the 
grove,    hoping    she   would    pass    by    without 


:  J 


m^ 


THE   PRINCESS   SADO-KO 


93 


seeing  him.  This  she  doubtless  would  have 
done  had  not  the  young  man,  as  she  came 
opposite,  made  an  odd  exclamation,  and  then 
stepped  before  her  path.    What  he  said  was: — 

"  Masago ! " 

She  raised  a  startled  face  to  his  and  stood 
perfectly  still  before  him  in  the  path,  the  blos- 
soms slowly  dropping  from  her  arms.  That 
strange  expression  of  mingled  fear  and  amaze- 
ment awoke  chaotic  memories  in  the  mind  of 
Junzo.  It  was  Masago  who  stood  before  him, 
he  felt  sure ;  but  some  one  other  than  Masago 
had  once  looked  up  into  his  face  in  the  same 
startled  fashion.  It  must  have  been  a  dream 
or  fancy.     He  repeated  her  name:  — 

"  Masago  1 "  And  then,  "  What  do  you 
here  ? " 

"  Who  are  you  ? "  she  asked  in  a  low  voice, 
her  eyes  travelling  over  his  face.  "What  is 
your  honorable  name,  and  where  do  you  come 
from  ? " 

The  very  words  had  a  ring  of  familiarity  to 
the  ears  of  Junzo.  He  felt  like  one  in  a 
dream,  and  answered  almost  mechanically :  — 


i  II] 
5  n 


94 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


l!:^ 


V 


I!  •; 


"I  am  Kamura  Junzo.  I  come  from  — " 
He  made  a  slight  motion  toward  the  adjoining 
gardens. 

A  slow  pink  glow  grew  up  into  her  face  and 
spread  even  to  her  little  ears  and  whitest  neck. 
Her  eyes  were  shining,  almost  as  if  there  were 
tears  within  them. 

"Ah,"  she  said  softly,  "I  do  remember 
you." 

"We  are  betrothed,"  he  said,  passing  his 
hand  bewilderedly  across  his  eyes. 

"Betrothed?"  she  repeated  in  that  sweet, 
low-toned  voice. 

"Yes,  Masago.  Do  you  not  remember 
then  ? " 

"  But  my  name  is  not  Masago,"  she  said 
simply. 

"  Not  Masago  ! "  he  repeated. 

"  No.     I  am  the  Princess  Sado-ko." 

After  that  there  was  a  long  silence  between 
them.  They  looked  into  each  other's  faces 
without  speaking.  Then  the  young  man 
found  his  voice. 

"I  thought  the  august  sun   had   touched 


H 


^i 


i 


THE   PRINCESS   SADO-KO 


95 


my  brain,"  he  said.  "  I  knew  that  your  face 
was  familiar  to  me,  and  because  you  are  the 
image  of  one  to  whom  —  " 

He  broke  off,  flushing  under  the  glance 
of  her  soft,  searching  eyes. 

"  To  whom  you  are  betrothed,"  she  finished 
quietly. 

«  Yes,"  he  said. 

"  And  her  name  is  Masago  ?  "  she  asked 
musingly. 

"Yes." 

"  And  she  looks  like  me  ? "  She  raised 
her  face,  and  looked  at  him  somewhat  wist- 
fully. 

"  Sweet  princess,"  he  said,  carried  away  by 
the  expression  within  her  eyes,  "her  beauty 
is  like  unto  the  moon's  —  cold,  fiir,  and  dis- 
tant, but  yours  —  yours  warms  me  like  the 
glow  of  the  sun.  You  are  indeed  the  child  of 
the  sun-god." 

She  smiled  faintly. 

"  Are  you  the  artist-man  of  whom  they 
speak  ?  "  she  asked. 

He  bowed  slightly,  and  she  continued :  — 


t  i 


96 


DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 


1*1' 


i 

I 

; 

i               , 

i  ■'! 


u 


¥ 


"  I  have  admired  the  very  beautiful  statue 
you  have  made  of  Prince  Komatzu." 

"  I  trust  that  it  will  please  the  people,"  he 
said  simply. 

"  Nay,  he  has  presented  it  as  a  gift  to  me," 
she  said. 

Junzo  recalled  the  report  of  her  betrothal  to 
the  Prince  Komatzu,  and  he  turned  a  trifle  pale. 
Possibly  she  divined  his  thoughts,  for  she  said : 

"  We  are  cousins." 

"And  will  be  —  "  He  did  not  finish  the 
sentence. 

She  changed  the  subject  abruptly. 

"  You  will  be  at  the  palace  long  ? " 

"  Two  more  days." 

«  And  then  ?  " 

"  I  will  return  home." 

"  Home  ? "  She  repeated  the  word  in  such 
a  wistful,  lingering  tone.  "  You  will  go  back 
to  Kamakura?"  she  asked. 

"Yes." 

"  My  dear  old  home  !  "  she  said.  And  then, 
"  You  do  not  know  what  memories  your  pres- 
ence recalls  to  me." 


ir 


THE   PRINCESS  SADO-ICO  97 

He  could  not  uke  his  eyes  from  her  ex- 
pressive face. 

"  I  have  not  seen  it  since  I  was  a  child," 
she  said.    "  Why  do  you  go  so  soon  ? " 

«*  My  honorable  commission  ends." 

«  There  may  be  others." 

«  I  have  no  other,"  he  replied  simply. 

"  The  ladies  of  the  court  would  honorably 
like  their  pictures  painted  ? "  she  essayed  almost 

timidly. 

« I   do  not  paint,"   he  said.     "  I  am  but  a 

sculptor." 

They  walked  slowly  up  the  pebbled  path, 
and  through  the  bamboo  grove,  until  they 
came   to  the  little  gate   over  which  he   had 

stepped. 

"  Now  we  have  reached  the  wall,"  she  said 
with  childish  lightness.  "You  are  not  so 
brave  nowadays,  I  fancy,  as  to  carry  me  across 
by  force." 

He  vaulted  to  the  other  side  without  speak- 
ing, then  stood  a  moment,  looking  back  at  her. 

"Yet,"  she  said,  almost  tremulously,  "the 
wall  is  not  so  high  or  stone." 


it     I 

i1» 


'If  'i- 


li 


1: 
ill 


98 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"  It  has  the  power  to  divide,  O  princess,"  he 
replied  in  a  husky  voice. 

"  Now  you  are  at  the  other  side,  you  are  no 
longer  Kamura  Junzo,"  she  said.  "  You  have 
become  changed  from  the  little  boy  I  once 
knew.  You  are  cruel  now  —  and  —  and  — 
cold." 

"And  you,"  he  said,  "as  far  away  and  un- 
attainable as  the  stars,  O  princess." 

"  Yet  you  are  betrothed  to  one  whom  you 
called  Masago,"  she  said  suddenly,  and  raised 
an  almost  appealing  face  to  his.  He  looked 
into  her  eyes  and  did  not  speak. 

"A'ld  am  I  not  like  this  Masago?"  she 
asked. 

"  You  are  like  no  one  in  all  the  world,"  he 
said,  "save  that  sweet,  lovely  princess  that 
even  as  a  boy  I  sought  to  capture  for  —  my 
own." 

"  You  have  not  tried  again,"  she  said. 

"  The  sun  is  in  my  eyes,  O  princess.  I  am 
afraid." 

He  turned  abruptly  from  her  and  walked 
swiftly  away  toward  the  front  of  the  palace. 


»\* 


1   <l 

i 


THE   PRINCESS  SADO-KO 


99 


"I  have  been  dreaming,"  he  said,  passing 
his  hand  across  his  eyes,  "and  living  in  my 
dreams.     O  gods !  " 

Sado-ko  looked  after  him,  leaning  over  the 
railing  of  the  gate  watching  until  he  disap- 
peared. Then  she  turned  and  walked  with 
dreamy  step  back  through  the  bamboo  grove. 
She  turned  her  toward  a  slender,  pebbled 
path  which  she  followed  to  a  small  lawn, 
in  whosf  centre  a  stately  statue,  white  and 
pure,  was  set.  She  stood  in  silence  looking 
upon  it, — a  statue  of  the  Prince  Komatzu 
wrought  by  the  hands  of  the  artist-man.  Sud- 
denly she  placed  her  arms  about  the  statue's 
form  and  pressed  her  face  against  it.  Her 
words  were  strangely  like  to  his :  — 

"I  have  been  dreaming,  dreaming,"  she 
said,  "and,  O  sweet  Kuonnon,  let  me  not 
awake!" 


mn 
W  ^ 


M 


'I     ^h 


CHAPTER   VII 


THE  PICTURE  BY  THE  ARTIST-MAN 


H 


if 


1  I 


.1         ( 


ii- 


I!  \ 


CHAPTER   VII 


THE    PICTURE    BY   THE    ARTIST-MAN 

THE  ladies  persisted,  though  the  artist 
was  obdurate.  He  stood  in  their  path 
directly  before  the  covered  picture  on 
the  foreign  easel.  His  eyes  wandered  gravely 
over  the  various  faces  of  his  fair  besiegers. 

Said  the  Duchess  Aoi,  with  her  small  chin 
raised  and  her  long  eyes  at  disdainful  level :  — 
«  Sir  Artist,  you  invest  a  picture  with  the 
attributes  of  the  original.  Yet  even  the  prin- 
cess's most  celestial  person  is  not  so  sacred  to 
our  insignificant  eyes.     Why,  then,  her  august 

picture  ? " 

Junzo  bowed  only  slightly  to  his  interlocu- 
tor, and  replied  briefly  :  — 

"  The  portrait  is  unfinished.  Duchess  Aoi." 
«  Unfinished !     Well,  and  did  we  not  gaze 
upon    the    statue   of  his    Imperial    Highness 
while  yet  it  was  unfinished?" 

103 


i 


i  I' 


!!'' 


104  DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 

The  artist  did  not  move  from  his  position. 

"  Ah,  it  is  the  honorable  whim  of  the  artist, 
ladies,"  said  the  little  Countess  Matsuka. 

"  Sir  Artist,  you  are  most  cruel  to  the  kind," 
chided  a  roguish  young  lady,  who  leaned  against 
the  Duchess  Aoi. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  added  another,  "  to  permit  a 
whim  —  an  artist's  foolish  whim  —  to  prevent 
our  enjoyment  of  her  Highness's  picture." 

"  Confess,"  said  Lady  Fuji-no,  who  hitherto 
had  remained  quietly  in  the  background,  "  that 
this  is  not  the  whim  of  an  artist,  but  of  —  " 

"The  portrait  is  unfinished,"  repeated  the 
artist,  raising  his  voice. 

"  Shaka !  You  have  been  most  painstak- 
ing, Sir  Artist.  The  statue  of  the  Prince 
Komatzu  was  completed  in  just  half  the  space 
of  time."  It  was  the  Duchess  Aoi  who  spoke. 
To  her  the  artist  turned. 

"  Lady,  bid  me  not  again  repeat,  the  por- 
trait is  unfinished,"  he  said  w'±  a  low,  grace- 
ful bow. 

Lady  Fuji  burst  into  merry  laughter. 

"  Artist,"   she   said,  "  the  foreigners  whom 


9 


PICTURE   BY  THE   ARTIST-MAN     105 

we  emulate  in  some  things  declare  that  all 
women,  royal  or  otherwise,  have  the  preroga- 
tive to  command,  to  insist. 

Junzo's  brows  were  slightly  drawn  together. 
He  bowed  without  answering  the  smiling  Fuji. 
"And  so,"  she  continued,  taking  a  step 
nearer  to  him,  "  I  am  going  to  look  upon 
the  picture,  since  you  will  not  heed  command, 
and  even  though  —  " 

Her  hand  was  upon  the  silken  covering, 
which  she  had  partly  lifted.  Junzo's  hand 
fell  upon  hers  like  a  vice.  She  did  not,  how- 
ever, release  the  covering,  but  clutched  at  it 
beneath  his  fingers,  her  half-defiant,  half-smil- 
ing eyes  upon  his  face. 

«  Lady  Fuji-no  1 "  he  cried,  breathing  heavily, 
«  I  must  command  —  " 

«  Command !  "  she  repeated  haughtily ;  «  and 
when.  Sir  Artist,  did  you  acquire  authority  at 
court?  By  what  right  do  you,  a  hired  artist, 
dare  to  command  a  lady  of  the  household  of 
her  Imperial  Highness?" 

She  wrenched  at  the  covering,  and  it  began 
to  slip  from  the  top  of  the  picture. 


io6 


DAUGH  IKRS   OF   NIJO 


1^' 


ii^> 


"In  the    name  of   Princess   Sado-ko ! "   he 
cried. 

The  covering  had  slipped  to  the  floor,  and 
even  the  most  impassive  of  the  ladies  had 
started  back  with  little  gasps  of  consternation. 
The  canvas  that  faced  them  now  was  blank. 
There  was  complete  silence  in  the  salon  of 
the  visiting  artist.  Then  almost  simultane- 
ously all  eyes  were  turned  from  that  blank 
canvas  to  the  face  of  the  artist-man. 

He  stood  there  like  one  overtaken  by  a 
sudden  tragedy.  His  face  was  white  and 
drawn,  his  eyes,  always  large  and  dark,  were 
widened  now.  His  nostrils  quivered,  and  his 
lips  were  dry.  The  very  sight  of  his  despair 
had  a  moving  effect  upon  all,  save  the  Lady 
Fuji-no,  who  began  to  laugh  very  softly. 
Thus  she  broke  the  silence.  Her  words  were 
slow  and  cruel :  — 

"  Of  a  truth.  Sir  Artist,  the  picture  of  her 
Imperial  Highness  is  unfinished." 

He  did  not  speak.  The  lady  leaned  toward 
him,  thrusting  her  face  within  the  range  of 
his  vision. 


■M 


11     ,• ' 


PICTURE   BY   THE   ARTIST-MAN     107 

«  Is  this  the  honorable  portrait  of  our  Prin- 
cess Sado-ko,  which  she  will  make  as  exchange 
gift  to  her  affianced,  Prince  Komatzu?"  she 

asked. 

The  artist  turned  his  face  painfully  aside. 

Then  the  Duchess  Aoi  spoke:  — 

"Artist,"  she  said,  "we  most  humble  and 

insignificant    ones    copy   the   august  fashions 

from    her    Highness.      Pray   you,   paint   my 

picture  in  just  so  fine  a  style." 

There  were  hysterical  tears  in  the  voice  of 
the  little  Countess  Matsuka.  She  sought  in 
vain  to  divert  her  more  heartless  companions. 

«  I,"  she  said,  "would  desire  to  be  painted 
in  a  most  gorgeous  foreign  gown." 

"With  the  body  showing?"  inquired 
Madame  Eara. 

"Yes,  the  neck  and  the  long  arms.     Why 

not?" 

"  Oh,  ah,  it  is  indecent ! " 

The  artist  stooped  to  the  covering  on  the 
floor.  He  stood  holding  it  in  his  hand,  as 
though  he  knew  not  what  to  do. 

"  Oh,  pray  do  not  cover  up  the  august  like- 


1 


i 


U 


^  I. 


iH 


I     ! 


w 


io8  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

ncss,  artist,"  pleaded  the  Lady  Fuji-no,  with 
affected  solicitude. 

The  Countess  Matsuka  raised  her  voice  al- 
most shrilly :  — 

"Ladies,  do  let  us  take  a  vote  as  to  the 
decency  of  the  barbarian  gown." 

But  her  suggestion  was  drowned  in  the  hub- 
bub of  gossip.  The  countess  was  met  only 
with  this  reply:  — 

"  Countess,  upon  what  work  was  this  artist- 
man  engaged  when  he  was  closeted  with  Prin- 
cess Sado-ko  ? " 

The  group  about  the  picture  grew  closer  still 
together.  The  question  grew  in  size,  and 
found  a  hundred  answers. 

"  It  is  one  that  only  the  artist  himself  can 
solve,"  said  Aoi,  looking  toward  him  ob- 
liquely. 

"  Oh,  oh,  was  only  the  artist  present.?"  pro- 
tested Lady  Fuji. 

"And  her  Highness,"  said  the  Duchess 
Aoi,  and  bowed  in  mocking  reverence  at  the 
name.  "  Do  you  not  recall  she  said  she  would 
not    have   her  ladies  present  at  the  sittings? 


PICTURE   BY  THE  ARTIST-MAN     109 


When  we  dared  to  protest,  in  most  humble 
wise,  she  frowned  and  commanded  us  to  go, 
which  we  were  forced  to  do." 

The  artist  suddenly  took  a  step  forward  and 
faced  the  ladies  fairly.  The  color  had  returned 
to  his  face,  and  his  eyes  sparkled  in  defiant 
scorn  at  his  small  tormentors.  His  voice  was 
raised  to  a  clear  pitch  :  — 

"You    make   mistake,   most    noble    ladies. 
You  do  injustice  to  the  humble  artist,  to  his 
work,   and   to   her   most   exalted    Highness." 
Here   he   bowed   deeply  and  with   reverence. 
"  It  is  very  true  you  do  not  now  behold  on 
this  blank  canvas  the  work  of  the  many  days 
of  the  artist.     Yet  that  is  not  an  unsolvable 
mystery.      Shall   the   humble   but    honorable 
artist  allow  his  work  upon  the  portrait  of  her 
Serene  Highness,  the  daughter  of  the  sun-god, 
to  remain   in   his   most   public   salon  for  the 
chance  and  vulgar  observation  of  the  spiteful 
curious?     Permit  me  to  observe  with  proper 
respect  and  humility  that  no  explanation  of  the 
substitution  of  the  blank  canvas  is  diie.     Fur- 
ther, ladies,  you    make  a  treasonable  mistake 


m 


.  • '  I 


Jl 


'^'  fe  d 


no 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


when  you  declare  the  august  sittings  were  un- 
attended. Her  Highness,  upon  all  occasions 
when  she  deigned  to  permit  me  to  paint  her 
august  picture,  was  both  chaperoned  and  at- 
tended by  the  honorable  maid,  Onatsu-no." 

A  sudden  little  shriek  broke  from  one  of 
the  ladies,  at  which  all  turned  toward  her  and 
then  followed  the  direction  of  her  startled  eyes. 
The  next  instant  all  this  company  of  clattering- 
tongued  ladies,  whether  in  European  dr^'ss  or 
kimono,  had  fallen  to  their  knees,  and  were 
touching  the  mats  with  their  heads. 

The  Princess  Sado-ko,  attended  by  her 
maiden,  Natsu-no,  stepped  slowly  down  from 
the  slight  eminence  of  the  adjoining  room,  the 
shojis  of  which  the  pages  drew  behind  her. 
There  was  no  expression  in  the  face  of  Sado-ko 
as  she  crossed  the  room,  bcwing  her  head  with 
grace  in  response  to  the  servile  courtesies  of  her 
maids  of  honor.  She  made  a  slight  motion 
with  her  hands,  and  there  was  a  quick  move- 
ment and  rustling  of  the  obedient  ladies,  mov- 
ing toward  the  shoji  that  led  without.  One  of 
them,  more  daring  than  the  others,  the  Lady 


PICTURE   BY   THE   ARTIST-MAN      m 

Fuji-no,  paused  by  the  veranda  doors,  and 
spoke  with  affected  timidity :  — 

"  May  it  please  your  Highness  that  we  be 
permitted  to  remain  to-day  for  this  sitting  ? " 

Sado-ko's  eyes  were  above  the  head  of  her 
father's   new  favorite   and   her   own   maid  of 

honor. 

"  Lady  Fuji-no,"  she  said, "  I  have  spoken." 
Fuji  bowed  herself  down  to  the  mats,  then 

quietly  joined  those  without. 


) 

t 


V   i 


■  ^f\ 


!    J  I 


i: 


fi 


II    U 

■I:       4 


i     ■  i; ' 

;    y 

11 

i  1 

^    ■  1 

k\^^^ 

CHAPTER  VIII 


A  SENTIMENTAL   PRINCESS 


i  I 


it 


i     ' 


CHAPTER  VIII 


A    SENTIMENTAL    PRINCESS 


JUNZO  turned   his   head   from   Sado-ko. 
He  stood  still  as  a  statue,  his  head  droop- 
ing, his  hands   clinched.     She  broke  the 
strained  silence  with  a  co  -mand  to  her  attend- 
ant. 

"  Natsu-no,  pray  draw  apart  the  door  at 
once.  The  atmosphere  is  thick  with  odor  of 
our  ladies.  It  has  sickened  the  honorable 
artist." 

He  raised  his  head  sharply.  She  had  not 
heard,  then !  The  maid  pushed  the  shojis  to 
either  side,  thus  exposing  the  apartment  to  the 
full  view  of  any  without.  This  was  a  daily 
custom  and  precaution.  No  spying  maid  of 
honor  might  lurk  about  the  balcony. 

While  the  sliding  doors  remained  open, 
neither  the  artist  nor  the  princess  spoke,  but 
when  a  sufficient  interval  had  elapsed  and  the 

"5 


Ml 


1 1 


!,    ". 


W     1 


"I" 


ill  % 


'if. 


ii6 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


doors  had  been  drawn  together  again,  the  maid 
whispered  a  word  of  command  to  the  guard 
outsidej  who  silently  took  his  station  on  the 
balcony.  Then  Sado-ko,  turning  slowly  tow- 
ard the  artist,  began  to  laugh  in  a  strangely 
quivering,  and  subdued  fashion.  The  sound 
of  the  soft  laughter  hurt  the  artist.  He 
scarcely  could  command  his  words. 

"Guileless  princess,  I  pray  you  do  not 
laugh ! " 

"  Not  laugh  ?  "  she  repeated.  "  You  are  to- 
day a  most  unflattering  artist.  Was  it  only 
yesterday  you  said  my  laughter  was  as  sweet  as 
sweetest  music  of  the  sweetest  birds  ? " 

She  passed  her  fan  over  her  shoulder  to  the 
maid  Natsu-no,  who,  whirling  it  open,  fanned 
her  gently.  Sado-ko  smiled  reproachfully  at 
Junzo,  as  she  sat  by  a  golden  screen,  near  to 
a  shoji  through  which  the  sinking  sun  pierced 
and  slanted  just  above  her  head. 

Junzo  knelt  on  one  knee  a  short  distance 
from  her.     His  face  was  sad  and  serious. 

«  Princess  Sado-ko,"  he  said,  "you  have  not 
heard  of  a  most  lamentable  happening." 


mmmt 


A   SENTIMENTAL   PRINCESS        117 

«  If,"  said  she,  still  smiling,  "you  allude  to 
the  noisy  chatter  of  my  ladies,  you  are  mis- 
taken.    I   have  heard." 

He  looked  half  unconsciously  toward  the 
now  covered  canvas.  She  followed  his  glance, 
and  still  she  smiled. 

"  I  have  seen,  too,"  she  said. 
He  regarded  her  dumbly,  marvelling  at  the 
trembling    happiness   which    seemed    to    lurk 
within  her  eyes  and  about  her  small  red  lips. 

"  Come  -)ace  nearer  to  me,  if  you  please," 
she  urged.  His  obedience  brought  him  so 
close  that  he  could  have  touched  her.  She 
put  out  a  little  hand  toward  him,  and  spoke 
his  name. 

"  Junzo  !  "  she  said. 

He    scarcely   dared    to    look    at    her.      She 

said :  — 

"  I  pray  you,  look  at  me  a  ^pace." 
Their  eyes  met  fully  now,  and  then  he  saw 
that  despite  the  smile  within  them,  hers  were 
shining  with  undropped  tears.  In  an  agony 
of  feeling  he  turned  from  her.  He  heard  her 
tremulous  voice,  thrilling  now  with  that  strange 


ii8 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


R't 


laughing  quality  but  accentuating  the  pleading 
underneath. 

"  Do  not  even  the  birds  chatter  ?  Permit 
my  ladies  the  same  pastime." 

"  It  is  of  you  I  think,"  he  said  huskily. 

"  That  is  all  very  well.  I  —  I  would  not 
have  you  think  of — of  another,"  she  replied. 

"  Princess,  the  gossip  of  the  ladies  does  in- 
jury to  your  sweet  name." 

"If  that  were  so,"  she  said,  "  there  would 
be  no  such  name  as  Sado-ko  left  in  the  world. 
Do  you  not  know  that  I  am  the  most  un- 
popular princess  in  Japan  ?  " 

"  But  this  late  matter,  princess,  is  not 
merely  female  resentment  at  your  refusal  to 
accept  the  Western  mode  of  life  within  your 
household.     But  this  new  slan  —  " 

"  Do  not  speak  the  word,"  she  said  quietly. 

She  took  her  fan  from  Natsu-no,  and  aris- 
ing crossed  the  room  until  she  stood  before 
the  easel.  Pensively  she  looked  at  the  cov- 
ered canvas.  Junzo  had  followed  her  and 
now  stood  by  her  side.  There  was  deep 
emotion  in  his  voice  :  — 


A   SENTIMENTAL    PRINCESS        119 


( 


« 


Princess,  will  it  please  you  to  sit  to-day  ?  " 

She  turned  to  raise  her  eyes  to  his. 

"  But,"  she  said,  "  you  do  not  paint  upon 
the  canvas.     You  have  told  me  so." 

"  I  am  a  sculptor,  but  I  have  also  attempted 
the  other  —  " 

She  interrupted  him. 

"  It  would  hurt  your  fame,"  she  said.  "  It 
cannot  be." 

"  And  what  does  it  matter  whether  I  have 
fame  or  not?" 

"  Artist,  it  was  not  for  that  work  I  bade 
you  stay,"  she  said. 

"  But    it    was    thought   so   by    the   others, 

princess." 

«  I  —  I  had  a  desire  to  learn  more  of — 
of  Kamakura  —  of  people  there  —  and  so  I 
begged  you  to  remain." 

"You  did  command,"  he  said  in  a  low 
voice. 

"No,"  raising  her  eyes  appealingly,  "say 
that  I  did  beseech  you." 

"  You  did  command,"  he  repeated. 

"  Well,  have  it  so.     I  commanded  and  you 


■ 

'I 


120  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

obeyed.     It  was  the  reason  of  your   staying. 
Why  suggest  employment  now  ?  " 

"To  spare  the  name  of  the  most  noble 
princess  in  the  realm." 

She  held  her  little  head  proudly. 

"  Who  is  it  that  slanders  Sado-ko,"  she 
asked  scornfully,  and  then  quickly  answered 
herself.  "  A  few  small  biting  insects,  who  but 
sting,  not  kill.  Sir  Artist." 

He  turned  away  from  her  and  stood  by 
the  garden  shoji,  from  whence  he  stared 
moodily  without.  She  followed  him  with 
softest  step. 

"  I  pray  you,  do  not  look  without.  The 
sky  is  gray.     The  sun  is  fading." 

She  put  her  hand  upon  his  arm  with  timid 
touch.  He  turned  with  sudden  impulse, 
and  seized  it  in  both  his  own. 

"The  sun,  O  princes^,  is  within,"  he  cried, 
"and,  O  sweet  Sado-ko,  it  is  too  dazzling 
bright  for  such  as   I  to  gaze  upon." 

When  he  would  have  dropped  her  hand, 
she  held  it  within  his  own.  Her  face  filled 
him  with  a  vague    longing.     He  trembled  at 


I  W 


A   SENTIMENTAL   PRINCESS        121 

her  touch.  He  felt  the  wavering  of  her 
head  toward  him,  then  its  touch  against  his 
arm,  where  now  it  rested.  A  remnant  of  rea- 
son remaining  within  him,  he  sought  to  draw 
apart  from  her. 

"Do  not  —  do  not  so,"  she  cried,  clinging 

to  him. 

"  My   touch    profanes   you,   Sado-ko,"   he 

whispered  hoarsely. 

"  It  does  not,"  she  denied,  with  tears  in 
her  appealing  voice.  "Pray  you,  do  not 
draw  your  arm  awf/." 

"  Princess ! " 

"I  do   command   again,"  she   said.     After 

that  he  did  not  speak. 

Suddenly  the  silent,  immovable  figure  of  the 
maid  seemed  to  take  upon  itself  the  first  signs 
of  life.  She  arose  and  moved  toward  her  mis- 
tress.    At  a  respectful  distance  she  spoke. 

"  Noble  princess  ! "  she  said. 

Sado-ko,  still  holding  the  arm  of  her  lover 
close  about  her,  turned  toward  the  maid. 

"  What  is  your  honorable  desire,  maiden  ?  " 

"  The  chamber  darkens,  O  princess.     Will 


'.■•■ 


n 


'HI 


Ml^ 


I  i 


I- 

If  I 
ft '5' 

h 


122  DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 

your  Highness  deign  to  permit  the  honorable 

light  ? " 

"  I  am  quite  satisfied,"  said  Sado-ko,  and 
rested  her  head  contentedly  against  the  artist's 
arm.     The  maid  did  not  move. 

"  Will  not  the  noble  princess  permit  her 
evening    meal  ? "      she    tsked    in     trembling 

tones. 

"  I  am  not  hungry,"  said  the  Princess  Sado- 
ko.  She  smiled  up  at  her  lover's  now  adoring 
face. 

"  Princess,  the  hour  of — " 

Sado-ko  turned  toward  the  maid  with  the 
first  show  of  impatience. 

•  Pray  return  to  your  seat,  Natsu-no,"  she 
said,  "  and  when  I  need  your  service,  I  will  so 
advise  you." 

Without  replying,  Natsu-no  slowly  moved 
to  her  seat ;  but  she  kept  her  face  toward  those 
two  figures  now  silhouetted  in  the  twilight  of 

the  room. 

"  You  still  are  uneasy  ?  "  asked  the  Princess 
Sado-ko.  "Do  you  not  like  the  touch  of 
mer 


A  SENTIMENTAL   PRINCESS        123 

«  It  makes  me  faint  with  ecstasy,"  he  said. 
"  Yet,  Sado-ko,  I  am  fearful." 

"  Oh,  be  not  fearful,"  she  said. 

««On  my  knees  I  could  adore  you,  but  —  " 

"  But  ?     You  do  not  finish." 

"  Princess  1 " 

«  Do  not  call  me  princess.  Forget  for  but 
a  little  while  that  I  am  such.  I,  too,  would 
forget,  my  Junzo." 

"  I  must  remember  for  us  both,"  he  said. 
«  My     honor  —  O     sweet     Sado-ko  —  thy 

honor  —  " 

"Sado-ko  is  ill  with  honor,"  she  replied. 
«  Give  me  for  a  change  a  little  of  thnt  simple 
love  I  have  not  had  since  my  august  grand- 
mother died." 

«  O  innocent  princess  1" 
She  laughed  softly. 

« Junzo,  they  say  that  I  was  born  without 
a  heart,  that  because  I  was  the  child  of  gods 
I  could  not  love  as  mortals  do.  Could  you 
not  tell  them  otherwise,  my  Junzo?" 

The  maid  was  weeping  in  the  darkened 
room,  her  sobs  cleariy  audible.     They  heard 


Ii; 


Ci,        -1; 

V  if 
U  Vi 


124 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


Her  crawling  on  her  knees  across  the  room, 
and  then  the  sofc  thud  of  her  prostration  be- 
fore the  little  shrine.  Then  came  the  mum- 
b'ing  words  of  her  prayer   — 

"  Hear  thou  the  prayer  of  the  most  humble 
one,  O  mighty  Kuonnon  Save  thou  the  soul 
of  thy  innocent  descendant,  she  who  —  " 

Sado-ko  dropped  the  arm  of  her  lover 
and  started  toward  the  maid. 

'•  Natsu-no  '  "  she  cried  out  sharply,  as  the 
drone  of  the  woman's  prayer  ended,  "  for 
whom  do  you  pray  ?  ' 

I'he  maid  put  her  head  at  the  princess's 
feet 

"For  you,  O  beloved  mistress  I  pray 
that  the  gods  will  save  you  from  this  artist- 
man. ' 

The  princess  spurned  her  with  her  little 
foot, 

"  If  you  make  such  foolish  prayers,  the  gods 
may  hear  you,"  she  cried.  "  If  they  should 
grant  your  prayers  and  take  him  from  me, 
why,  I  should  be  bereft  of —     Oh-h  —  " 

She    made    p    passionate   movement   toward 


A  SENTIMENTAL   PRINCESS        125 

the  shrine,  as  though  she  would  destroy  it,  but 
strong  hands  drew  her  away. 

"  Do  not,  Sado-ko,  offend  the  gods !  Do 
not,  for  my  sake !  " 

She  put  her  hands  upon  his  shoulders  and 
wept  against  his  breast. 


r' 


i  < 


iJ 


I)  rr 


I A 


m 


Ifl'  » 


CHAPTER    IX 


MOON  TRYST 


.— *" '~'" 


\-^- 


r  -' 


-^x. 


If 


^'i 


lit  S|i 
111  4^ 


CHAPTER   IX 


MOON     TRVST 

LIKE  a  large  lighted  lantern  the  palace 
Komatzu  appeared  in  the  night,  its 
transparent  shojis  revealed  the  lights 
within.  The  sound  of  soft  tinkUng  music  was 
constantly  heard,  an  accompaniment  to  the 
ceaseless  murmuring  of  voices.  Ever  and 
anon  there  was  the  sound  of  silvery  laughter, 
and  also  the  soft  glide  and  patter  of  moving 

footsteps. 

From  the  garden  without  one  could  see  the 
strange  flitting  and  moving  of  the  figures 
within,  for  the  court  of  Japan  was  enjoying 
the  latest  of  Western  novelties,  —  the  dance. 
A  square-bearded  German  had  found  a  place 
as  leader  of  the  Japanese  orchestra,  and  now 
a  strange  medley  of  dance  music  was  being 
wrung    from    the    instruments.      The    weird 

1  1^9 


130 


UAUGHl'ERS   OF   NIJO 


■11 


i 

■;. 

ij,  ^i 

■l 

u 

m 

'\ 

■ 

1; 

Mrtl 

m 

v.:i^^ 

tinkling  of  the  geishas'  instruments  floating  out 
from  a  garden  booth  close  at  hand,  added  dis- 
cord to  the  odd  orchestra  of  the  palace.  Yet 
the  gentlemen  and  ladies  of  the  court  glided 
and  tripped  back  and  forth  within,  and  thought 
that  they  were  dancing  quite  in  the  style  of  the 
fashionable  Westerners. 

But  while  all  was  gay  and  brilliant  in  the 
new  ball-room  of  the  palace  Komatzu,  that 
wing  of  the  palace  reserved  for  the  Princess 
Sado-ko  was  in   blackness. 

Sado-ko  stood  alone  in  her  darkened 
chamber.  She  had  dismissed  her  personal 
attendant,  Natsu-no,  though  the  latter  crouched 
by  the  inner  shoji,  her  eye  peering  into  the 
adjoining  room,  watching  and  guarding  her 
mistress. 

It  had  not  been  difficult  for  Sado-ko  to 
retire  from  the  ball,  when  the  dancing  had 
begun,  for  her  aversion  to  all  such  modern 
pastimes  was  well  known.  She  alone  of  all 
that  company  had  appeared  in  the  simple 
though  exquisite  garb  of  her  country.  In  a 
robe  of  ancient  style,  soft  flowing,  Sado-ko  had 


MOON   TRYST 


»3i 


never  appeared  to  better  advantage  among  the 
ladies  of  the  court,  all  of  whom  affected  the 
European  style  of  gown,  which  ill  became 
them. 

Now  in  her  chamber  alone,  Sado-ko  watched 
by  her  shoji.  When  first  she  took  her  stand, 
all  was  black  without.  No  moon  had  yet 
arisen  to  silver  her  own  gardens  and  tell  her 
that  it  was  time.  It  was  a  long  interval  while 
she  stood  there,  a  statue  of  patience. 

Gradually  the  darkness  without  became 
mellowed,  and  slowly  and  softly  the  tall  bam- 
boos and  pines  became  silhouetted  against  the 
sky.  One  small  hand  hidden  in  the  folds  of 
her  kimono  was  lifted.  She  pushed  the  shoji 
a  small  way  apart,  —  only  enough  room  for  her 
straining  eyes  to  see  clearer  without. 

It  was  a  whice  and  wistful  face  she  turned 
appealingly  to  the  skies.  Then  that  first  soft 
light  reflected  in  her  eyes,  and  sighing  with 
relief  that  her  waiting  now  was  over,  she  pushed 
the  sliding  doors  still  farther  apart  and  then 
stepped  outside.  She  paused  upon  her  bal- 
cony,  to   look    about    her    with    some    fear. 


h 

11 


132 


DAUGHTERS    OF   NIJO 


I'fi 


ij' 


There  was  no  sound  or  stir.  Very  distant  and 
far  away  sounded  the  music  of  the  palace 
Komatzu. 

With  another  glance  of  assurance  at  the 
moon  floating  up  from  the  hills  and  trees,  she 
lifted  her  gown.  Down  into  the  garden  the 
princess  stepped. 

Almost  at  the  same  instant  the  maiden 
Natsu-no  cautiously  pushed  back  the  siioji  the 
princess  had  forgotten  to  close,  and  keeping 
some  distance  behind,  followed  her  mistress 
with  stealing  step. 

Meanwhile  the  Lady  Fuji-no  had  slipped 
breathlessly  from  the  arms  of  her  partner,  and 
condemning  the  atmosphere  of  the  room  had 
sought  the  wide  verandas.  Save  for  the  silent 
and  melancholy  figure  of  the  artist  the  verandas 
were  deserted.  He  stood  by  the  steps  leading 
to  the  gardens,  his  arms  folded  across  his 
breast,  his  head  partly  upraised  as  though  he 
watched  the  skies.  At  the  light  touch  of  the 
Lady  Fuji's  hand  he  started  violently,  forget- 
ting his  manners  in  so  far  as  to  draw  his  sleeve 
quickly  away  from  her  clasp.     Her  face  was  in 


MOON  TRYST 


133 


shadow,  for  it  was  dark  about  them.  Only  the 
first  glimmer  of  the  moon  had  yet  appeared. 
Junzo  knew  that  she  was  smiling  mock- 
ingly. 

"  You  watch  the  stars.  Sir  Artist  ? "  she 
asked    sweetly. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  without  moving. 

"  So  !     They  are  very  beautiful  to-night." 

"  Honorably  so,"  he  replied  simply. 

"Yet  how  insignificant  will  they  appear 
shortly  when  their  august  queen  shall  arise  to 
dim  their  little  lustre." 

"It  is  so,"  he  agreed  gravely ;  " the  august 
moon  is  queen  of  the  night." 

"  You  watch  for  the  queen.  Sir  Artist  ?  " 

He  turned  and  looked  at  her  curiously. 

"  And  you,  my  lady  ? " 

"  1,  too,"  she  rejoined. 

He  moved  restlessly,  and  even  in  the  dim 
light  her  watching  eyes  saw  the  uneasiness  in 
his  face. 

"  Let  us  watch  for  her  together,  artist." 

"  I  would  not  take  you  from  your  pleasures 
within,  my  lady." 


■34 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"  Nay,  the  pleasures  without  overshadow 
those  within." 

Again  she  saw  the  anxious  glance  upward 
toward  the  hills,  and  in  the  darkness  the  Lady 
Fuji  smiled  behind  her  opened  fan.  Junzo 
moved  downward  a  few  steps;  he  paused 
irresolutely. 

"  The  garden  is  fragrant,  Lady  Fuji-no.  I 
would  enjoy  it  for  a  little  while." 

"  And  I,"  said  she,  and  went  a  step  down- 
ward. 

"  But  the  air  is  chill,  my  lady." 

"  Balmy  sweet.  Sir  Artist." 

"  Lady,  your  august  neck  and  arms  are  bare 
to  the  night,"  he  said. 

She  drew  herself  up  slightly,  and  looked 
down  a  space  at  her  low  gown. 

"The  musicians  and  the  geishas  in  the 
booths,"  he  said,  "  would  dishonor  you  with 
their  rude  glances." 

Without  replying  she  clapped  her  hands. 
A  page  came  at  the  signal. 

"  A  wrap,  if  you  please,"  she  ordered. 

Junzo,  now  at  the  foot  of  the  steps,  stirred 


'i'^ 


<u 


MOON   TRYST 


»35 


uneasily.  The  moon  was  in  full  view.  The 
sight  for  which  he  had  watched  so  anxiously 
filled  him  now  only  with  agitation  and  despair. 
He  thought  of  one  waiting  in  the  darkness 
of  the  private  gardens  beyond.  Anxiety  ren- 
dered him  reckless.  He  bowed  deeply  to  the 
Lady  Fuji-no. 

"  Lady,  I  implore  your  august  pardon,  but 
the  night  has  claims  upon  my  desires.  I  wish 
to  wander  with  it  alone." 

She  stooped  down  toward  him.  Her  words, 
though  whispered,  were  perfectly  clear. 

"You  have  a  moon  tryst.  Sir  Artist.  Oh, 
beware  I " 

He  turned  about  sharply  and  faced  her. 

"  The  Moon,"  she  said,  — "  you  will  be- 
come her  plaything,  artist.     Be  cautioned  !  " 

Uncertain  and  irresolute  he  stood  a  moment, 
then  turned  upon  his  heel  and  swiftly  strode 
down  along  the  path,  disappearing  into  the 
shadows  of  the  trees. 


Sado-ko  wandered  through  the  dewy  gardens, 
beneath  the  drooping  bamboos  and  the  tower- 


i,!^' 


w- 


hf  ■  ■ 


I  A'i    1 


^1 


136  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

ing  pines.  Her  little  feet  were  swift  and  will- 
ing, as  she  hastened  along  with  beating  heart ; 
but  when  she  approached  the  end  of  the  grove, 
though  there  was  light  beyond,  she  could  not 
see  even  the  shadow  of  that  one  who  was  to 
have  kept  the  tryst  with  her.  Her  steps 
faltered ;  she  went  less  swiftly. 

«  The  moon  is  late,"  she  said.  And  then, 
«*  It  was  the  light  of  the  stars  I  saw." 

She  walked  so  slowly  now,  that  her  little 
feet  became  entangled  in  her  flowing  gown, 
which  she  had  absently  let  fall  to  the  ground. 
The  end  of  the  grove  was  now  reached.  She 
could  see  the  bright  silver  light  without. 

In  the  shadow  of  the  last  bamboo  the 
princess  stood  and  trembled.  She  did  not 
need  to  peer  into  the  distance,  for  all  was  clear 
outside  the  bamboo  grove,  as  far  off  as  the 
dividing  line  of  the  boxwood  shrub  and  the 
small  white  gate.  How  long  she  stood  in 
silent  waiting  she  could  not  have  told.  Every 
passing  summer  breeze  made  her  shiver. 
Once  she  raised  her  hand  to  her  face,  and 
something  wet  was  wiped  away. 


MOON  TRYST 


»37 


"  'Tis  but  the  dew  upon  my  face,"  she  said, 
but  her  own  trembling  voice  broke  the  spell  of 
anguished  waiting.  At  the  foot  of  the  droop- 
ing bamboo  she  slipped  to  the  earth,  and 
crouched  beneath  the  shadow,  deaf  now  to  all 
sounds,  save  her  own  inward  heart  cries  and 
the  tears  which  even  she  could  not  command 
to  cease. 

Yet  after  only  a  little  while,  one  appeared  at 
the  bamboo  gate,  vaulted  quickly  over  it,  and 
came  with  running  feet  on  toward  the  grove. 
A  moment  later,  Sado-ko  was  in  the  arms  of 

her  lover. 

"Oh,  is  it  you  —  you!"  she  said  through 
her  sighs,  "at  last.      Oh,  at   last  you   have 


come 


I 


"  It  is  I,  sweet  Sado-ko." 

«  So  late ! "  she  said,  her  breath  caught  by 
her  sobs. 

«  Yes,  late,"  he  said,  "  but  it  was  not  the 
fault  of  Junzo." 

"I  kept  the  tryst,"  she  said,  "and  waited 
long  for  the  moon  to  rise  —  and  then  —  then 
you  did  not  come,  and  I  —  and  then  I  wept." 


i, 


,38  DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 

She  turned  her  face  toward  a  moonbeam 
streaming  through  the  grove  that  he  might  see 
the  glistening  tears. 

"Sado-ko!"  he  cried  in  an  agony,  "oh, 
that  I  should  cause  you  pain  —  I  who  would 
sell  my  very  soul  to  save  you  from  a  tear." 

She  had  recovered  somewhat  of  her  natural 
calm,  and  for  a  moment  her  old  bright  self 
shone  out. 

"  Njy,  then,  and  what  is  a  little  tear  ?  So 
slight  a  thing  — see,  I  will  wipe  it  away  with 
the  sleeve  of  my  Junzo." 

"My  lotos   maiden!     O  Sado-ko,  I   have 

made  enemies  for  you  here  in  this  very  palace." 

"  But  I  am  stronger  than  the  enemies,  my 

Junzo.    Indeed,  I  can  afford  to  laugh  at  them." 

««  One  —  the  Lady  Fuji,  do  not  trust  her,  I 

beseech  you,  Sado-ko." 

"  She  would  become  wife  to  my  father,"  said 
Sado-ko,  with  quiet  scorn,  "  yet  her  power  is 
small  and  her  hope  vain." 

"She  tried  to  prevent  my  coming  here  to- 
night.    I  fear  she  has  suspected  our  tryst." 
«  Lady  Fuji-no  is  wise.     Were  I  to  marry 


mi 


MOON    TRYST 


139 


soon  the  Prince  Komatzu,  her  fortunes  would 
change.  She  would  possibly  be  out  of  service, 
and  knows  or  thinks  my  father  would  befriend 

her." 

«  There  are  still  others.     I  fear  the  Duchess 

Aoi  has  no  love  for  you  or  me." 

"  She  has  love  for  only  one  besides  herself, — 
the  Prince  Komatzu.  She  could  much  better 
herself  in  his  graces,  could  she  betray  Sado-ko 
in  some  base  act." 

"  And  baseness  is  not  possible  in  Sado-ko," 

he  said. 

Her   little   hands  moved  softly  across    his 

breast  and  upon  his  arms. 

"  You  are  truly  here,  my  Junzo,"  she  said, 
"  I  do  not  dream." 

"  Hark,  something  is  stirring  close  by  ! " 

"  The  wind,"  she  said.  "  Pray  you,  be  not 
fearful  of  the  wind." 

«  It  seemed  a  sound  more  human-like,  as 
of  one  who  crept  along  the  grove." 

"Perchance  a  deer.  The  parks  are  fully 
stocked,  and  many  wander  hither  to  my  own 
private  gardens." 


T40 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


t      I 


1!.r 


vu 


4 

I;! 


He  raised  her  face  upward  between  his 
hands,  within  which  he  framed  it. 

"  Listen,  Sado-ko.  Do  you  forget  that  we 
made  this  tryst  to-night  for  a  sad  purpose  ?  " 

"  I  have  forgotten,"  she  murmured ;  and 
added  in  so  soft  a  voice,  "I  would  forget, 
dear  Junzo." 

"  O  Sado-ko,  it  is  sweet  to  be  together,  but 
sadder  still  than  sweet,  for  this  must  be  the 
last  time." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  No,  no,"  she  said.     "  I  will  not  let  you 

go. 

"  I  must  go,"  he  said  sadly. 

"  I  will  command  you  to  stay,"  she  said. 

"  I  cannot  longer  stay.     To-morrow  —  " 

"  I  will  implore  you,  then.  Go  not  away 
from  me,  dear  Junzo  !  " 

"  Have  you  forgotten  that  our  tryst  to-night 
was  made  to  say  our  most  sad  sayonaras  ? " 

She  lifted  his  sleeve,  and  held  it  dose 
against  her  face. 

"  No,  no  —  leave  me  not !  " 

His  voice  was  husky. 


MOON  TRYST 


H« 


"  Why,  Sado-ko,  to-morrow  there  will  be  an 
exodus  from  the  palace.  I  could  not  stay, 
even  if  I  would.  Does  not  the  Prince  Ko- 
matzu  journey  back  to  Tokyo  ? " 

"And  you  —  you,  too,  will  go  with  us," 
she  said. 

"I?" 

"  I  have  myself  asked  this  favor  of  my 
cousin." 

"You  asked  his  Highness  —  " 

"Yes.  I  bade  him  ask  you  to  accompany 
us,  so  you  might  have  the  honorable  commis- 
sion to  paint  the  pictures  of  the  ladies  of  the 
court." 

"  Paint  the  pictures  — "  repeated  Junzo, 
stupidly. 

"  Yes,  that  will  be  the  good  excuse.  Yet 
you  must  not  do  so.  No,  I  would  not  have 
you  work  upon  another's  beauty." 

"  I  cannot  go,"  he  said,  raising  his  voice. 
"  It  is  impossible.     I  must  return." 

She  started  back,  her  hands  above  her  heart. 

"I  understand,"  she  said.  "You  will  return 
to  —  " 


li 


142 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


He  seized  her  hands  with  impulsive  passion. 
«*  My  father   bids   me   return.     Can   I   re- 
fuse?" he  cried. 

«  Oh,  go  not  back ! "  she  said,  with  tears  in 

her  pleading  voice. 

« I  must  return.  I  am  but  a  son.  Does  not  a 
son  owe  his  first  obedience  in  life  to  his  father?" 
«  It  is  an  ancient  fancy,"  she  said,  "  and 
these  moderns  are  more  wise.  They  say  a 
man  must  give  his  first  thought  to"— her  voice 
dropped  and  broke  —  "  his  wife ! ' 

She  drew  her  hands  from  his,  and  covered 
her  face  with  them.  While  yet  her  face  was 
hidden  in  them  she  spoke :  — 

«  You  will  make  her  —  your  wife  ?  '* 

He  could  not  answer.  Her  hands  dropped 
from  her  fiice  to  clinch  now  at  her  sides. 

«  Answer,  if  you  please ! "  she  said. 

«*  It  is  my  father's  command,"  he  said  in  a 

low  voice. 

"Your  father's  command  is  greater,  then, 
than  mine?"  she  demanded  with  fierceness. 

«0  Sado-ko,  do  you  not  perceive  my 
despair  ? " 


■11 


I.' 


Ill;'- 

w 


I, 


1. 

if|! 


MOON  TRYST 


»45 


"  But  why  should  you  despair  ?  —  you  who 
are  to  marry  Masago  ! " 

"  Sado-ko  !  "  he  cried  with  piercing  reproach, 
"all  the  gods  of  heaven  have  forbidden  me 
union  with  you.  Tell  me  what  other  course  is 
left." 

"  Oh,  leave  me  not !  "  said  Sado-ko. 

"  Even  if  I  would,  I  could  not  stay.  Your 
august  relatives  would  hastily  learn  the  truth, 
and  then  —  " 

They  heard  a  slight  cry  within  the  darkness 
of  the  grove.  Then  something  white  flashed 
by  them  into  the  open. 

"  Look ! "  cried  Sado-ko,  clutching  his 
sleeve.    «  Oh,  see !  " 

By  the  white  bamboo  gate  two  figures  were 
outlined,  —  a  man  and  woman.  And  in  the  clear 
moonlight  the  lovers  recognized  them  as  the 
Prince  Komatzu  and  the  Duchess  Aoi.  But 
the  maid  Onatsu-no,  who  had  rushed  by  them 
so  swiftly  through  the  grove,  came  up  toward 
these  two  by  the  gate,  and  prostrated  herself 
before  them. 

"Quick!"    cried   Sado-ko.      **They   have 


146 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


not  seen  us  yet.  Natsu-no  will  speak  to  them. 
Meanwhile  run  with  all  the  speed  your  love 
for  me  can  lend,  back  through  the  grove. 
Hide  among  the  shadows  of  the  trees  until  the 
prince  and  I  shall  pass.  Then  return  along 
the  grove." 

He  lingered,  seeming  averse  to  hiding ;  but 
she  urged  him,  pushing  him  with  her  own 
hands. 

"There  —  go  —  for  my  sake  —  my  sake  — 
do  this  thing  for  me  ! "  she  urged  disjointedly. 

He  stooped  and  drew  her  hands  close  to  his 
face,  and  for  a  moment  looked  deep  into  her 
eyes. 

"  Sayonara  ! "  he  whispered.  "  It  is  for- 
ever." 

"  Sayonara !  "  she  repeated,  and  sobbed  over 
the  word,  "  for  a  little  time,"  she  said. 


CHAPTER   X 


COUSIN   KOMATZU 


•  .■' 

t 


■I 


i| 


CHAPTER   X 


COUSIN    KOMATZU 

SADO-KO  stepped  from  out  the  shadow 
of  the  bamboo  grove  into  the  moon- 
lit path,  and  seemingly  pensive,  made 
her  way  toward  the  two  at  the  gate.  She 
paused  before  them  silently  for  a  moment, 
then  made  a  gesture  of  dismissal  to  the  maid 
Natsu-no,  who  ceased  her  excited  apologies  for 
having  interrupted  them,  through  sudden  fright 
at  their  appearance. 

"Cousin,"  said  the  princess  to  Komatzu, 
ignoring  altogether  the  Duchess  Aoi,  "your 
sudden  appearance  at  my  gate  has  frightened 
both  my  maid  and  me,  who  in  our  solitary 
evening  rambles  not  often  meet  with  visitors." 

Komatzu  answered :  — 

"The  Duchess  Aoi  and  the  Lady  Moon 
both  beguiled  me  into  a  like  garden  wandering. 
We  came  but  by  chance  to  your  august  gate." 

'49 


ISO 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


!     J 


!' 


.l\r. 


\l' 


■  •(  >, .- 


T  .      J 


"  But  will  you  not  step  inside  ? "  asked 
Sado-ko.  "  Pray,  cousin,  will  you  not  walk 
with  me?"  she  sweetly  urged. 

Glad  to  accompany  his  cousin,  the  prince, 
softly  clapping  his  hands,  ordered  an  attend- 
ant to  unfasten  the  gate.  Aoi  was  about  to 
follow  him  to  the  other  side,  when  stopped 
by  the  voice  of  the  princess.  "We  do 
not  need  your  further  service  to-night,"  she 
said. 

The  mortified  duchess  bowed  to  the  earth, 
and  slowly  moved  away. 

When  she  was  gone  and  the  Princess 
Sado-ko  should  have  breathed  more  freely, 
a  reaction  came.  She  clung  with  sudden 
faintness  to  the  waiting-maid,  Natsu-no. 

"  Cousfn,  you  are  ill ! "  cried  the  dismayed 
Komatzu. 

She  tried  to  laugh,  but  her  voice  was  shak- 
ing and  her  words  piteous. 

"  I  but  stumbled  on  my  gown.  Sir  Cousin." 

She  raised  herself,  lifting  the  kimono  a  little 
upward  from  the  ground. 

"  It  is  the  punishment  of  vanity,"  she  con- 


COUSIN   KOMATZU 


«5» 


tinued  in  a  somewhat  weary  voice.  "  I  was 
not  ready  to  part  with  my  fair  gown,  Komatzu. 
It  is  of  ancient  style  and  very  long  and 
cumbersome." 

"  But  the  embodiment  of  grace  and  beauty," 
said  Komatzu,  gallantly. 

She  pursued  this  light  conversation,  in  hope 
of  diverting  him  as  they  passed  on  their  way 
through  the  grove. 

"  What,  Cousin  Komatzu,  you  praise  an 
Oriental  gown,  —  you  who  are  so  much  a 
modern ! " 

He  glanced  down  smilingly  at  his  evening 
dress,  black,  immaculate,  and  foreign. 

"  The  honorable  gown,  fair  cousin,  is  truly 
exquisite;  still,  I  confess  I  do  prefer  the  for- 
eign style,  and  would  that  you  did  also." 

"  But  I  should  suffocate  did  I  enclose  my 
little  frame  in  so  honorably  tight  a  garb," 
she  protested,  and  at  the  same  moment  she 
glanced  about  fearfully.  Komatzu  seemed 
to  perceive  something  of  her  uneasiness,  for 
he,  too,  cast  a  keen  look  about  them. 

In  nervousness  she  began  to  speak  again. 


Mil 


152  DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 

for  somewhere  close  at  hand  she  heard  a  idr 
which  set  her  heart  to  violent  beating. 

"  My  ladies  beg  permission  to  deck  your  statue 
with  august  flowers,  cousin,  and —     Ah-h!" 

She  paused.  Was  it  fancy  only,  or  did  she 
see  a  face  staring  out  at  her  from  the  dense 
foliage  hard  by  ? 

"  I  protest,"  said  Komatzu,  stopping  short 
in  his  walk,  "  that  you,  fair  cousin,  are  ill. 
You  are  not  your  familiar  self  to-night." 

Her  Angers  clutched  his  arm  as  she  drew 
him  again  along  the  path. 

"  No,  no,  no,"  she  denied,  "  I  am  quite 
well  I  Do  not  linger  here,  I  pray  you. 
Cousin  Komatzu." 

He  frowned,  glancing  out  with  brows  drawn. 

"  I  was  thinking  it  an  ideal  spot  for  loiter- 
ing, princess." 

"  'Tis  dark,"  said  Sado-ko,  still  hastening 
blindly  on. 

"  The  moonlight  is  on  all  sides,  cousin,  and 
pierces  through  the  thin  bamboos.  And  look 
upward  —  see  how  clear  and  beautiful  the  star- 
lit sky  above  us." 


ir> 


COUSIN    KOMATZU 


'S3 


Again  he  paused  in  admiring  contempla- 
tion of  the  nigitit. 

"  The  nigh'  is  chill.  Sir  Cousin,  and  the 
grove  is  dnmp,"  she  said. 

"Why,  no  — "  he  began  again  in  protest, 
when  the  maid  behind  interrupted.  She 
wrapped  a  cape  about  the  shoulders  of  her 
mistress,  and  spoke  in  soothing  tones:  — 

''  Noble  princess,  the  humble  one  was  wit- 
ness of  your  shivering  just  now.  Permit  me 
then  to  serve  you." 

Still  the  Prince  Komatzu  hesitated.  Sud- 
denly Sado-ko  thrust  into  his  her  own  small 
hands. 

"  Cousin,  feel  how  cold  my  hands  are. 
Will  you  not  warm  them  with  yours  ? "  she 
said. 

He  held  them  doubtfully  a  moment,  then 
chafed  them  with  his  own,  while  she  moved 
onward. 

Once  outside  the  grove,  a  great  breath,  a 
sigh,  escaped  the  agitated  Sado-ko.  Then 
suddenly  she  began  to  laugh  in  a  strange, 
mirthless  fashion,  as  one  who  laughs  through 


154 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


i 


H^ 


!')    " 


W      fi 


I 


Iri. 


NiT 


tears.  Her  cousin  stood  in  silence,  sombrely 
regarding  her.  When  she  had  ceased,  he 
asked :  — 

"  Why  did  you  laugh  so  suddenly  just  now, 
princess  ? " 

"  A  thought  came  to  my  honorable  little 
brain,  Komatzu.  I  fancied  that  you  had 
learned  that  I  would  keep  a  tryst  to-night." 

He  did  not  move,  and  she  continued  with 
hysterical  rapidity. 

"  And  by  your  face  I  know  my  thought  was 
true.  Did  not  the  Duchess  Aoi  bring  you  to 
my  gate  for  the  purpose  of —  a  spy  ? " 

"  We  came  by  chance,"  he  answered  gravely. 

"Yes,  chance  dictated  by  your  beguiling 
guide,  good  cousin.     Is  it  not  so  ? " 

"  The  Duchess  Aoi  spoke  with  indignation 
of  the  tales  of  others,  Sado-ko." 

Again  the  princess  laughed  in  that  weird 
way. 

"  It  is  a  habit  of  my  sex,  Komatzu,  to 
slander  one  in  just  that  wise,  veiling  beneath 
choice,  soft,  indignant  words  against  others  their 
own  subtle  design  of  defamation." 


COUSIN    KOMATZU 


155 


"  Cousin,  who  would  dare  defame  your  name 
to  me  ? " 

"  Oh,  any  fair  and  clever  lady  of  the  court, 
Komatzu.  Come,  cousin,  were  you  not  in- 
formed that  I  would  keep  a  tryst  to-night  ? " 

"  With  whom  could  Princess  Sado-ko  keep 
tryst  ? "  he  asked. 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders  recklessly. 

"  With  whom,  Komatzu  ?  The  stars,  the 
moon,  the  night,  —  perchance,  a  lover." 

"You  laugh  at  me,  fair  cousin." 

"  Permit  me,  then,  to  weep."  She  clasped 
her  face  with  both  her  hanr  but  she  did  not 
feign  tears :  they  came  too  readily. 

"Cousin,"  said  Komatzu,  solemnly,  "will 
you  make  an  exchange  gift  with  me  for  my 
august  statue?" 

She  raised  her  face  defiantly. 

"  And  why  should  you  and  I  make  exchange 
gifts,  Komatzu  ?     We  are  not  affianced." 

"  Are  we  not  ? "  he  asked  sternly. 

"  No,  save  for  the  gossip  of  the  court  and 
popular  fancy.  Yet  his  Majesty  has  not  be- 
trothed us,  and  I  am  both  his  niece  and  ward." 


'I' 


m 


i 


ft 


I. 


156  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

"  He  will  betroth  us,"  said  Komatzu,  with 
gloomy  assurance,  "  for  all  his  ministers  are  in 
favor  of  the  union." 

"We  will  abide  the  time,  Komatzu,  when 
his  Majesty  sanctions  it.  Meanwhile  we  arc 
but  cousins." 

"Sado-ko,  give  me  that  picture  of  you 
painted  by  the  artist." 

She  turned  her  face  away.  Her  nervous 
hands  were  clasped. 

"  Wlien  we  are  betrothed,"  she  said. 

"  Sado-ko,  you  know  I  am  your  lover." 

«  So  it  is  said." 

"  Who  but  a  lover  should  possess  this  like- 
ness of  your  Highness  ?  " 

"  You  are  not  my  lover  —  yet." 

"I  will  be  so,"  said  Komatzu.  "Give  me, 
I  repeat,  the  portrait  of  your  Highness." 

She  turned  toward  him,  like  one  brought 
suddenly  to  desperate  bay. 

"Why  require  this  of  me?  You  have 
already  learned  there  is  no  such  picture." 

"  What,  you  admit  it !  " 

"  I  admit  it,"  she  returned  quietly  now. 


COUSIN   KOMATZU 


157 


He  changed  his  haughty  tone  to  one 
wherein  there  was  more  sorrow  than  anger. 

"Tell  me  this.  Cousin  Sado-ko,  why  did 
the  artist  remain,  and  upon  what  work  was 
he  engaged  when  closeted  with  you  ? " 

"He  did  not  work,  Komatzu.  He  but 
spoke  to  me  —  and  I  to  him.  He  would 
have  gone,  but  I  commanded  him  to  stay. 
There  was  no  option  for  the  man.  He  could 
not  paint.  I  knew  this  all  the  time — yet  — 
still  —  I  bade  him  stay." 

"Why,  Princess  Sado-ko?" 

"  For  many  reasons.  I  wished  to  know  of 
other  lives.  The  shallow,  shameless  ones  of 
those  about  me  enervated  my  body  and  my 
soul.  I  wished  to  learn  of  others  in  the  world, 
fresh,  cleaner,  cousin." 

"  Sado-ko,  I  fear  you  were  misjudged.  I 
fathom  now  your  reasons.  Just  one  more  bit 
of  eccentricity  so  natural  to  our  cousin." 

"  And  so  he  stayed,"  she  said,  her  voice 
now  slow  and  almost  absent  in  its  tone,  as 
though  she  were  recalling  incidents  in  some 
far  past.     "  He  stayed,  as  I  commanded.     He 


if 

r 


158  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

told  me  of  Ais  world,  —  the  great  world  with- 
out, Komatzu,  where  men  were  men,  not  pup- 
pets. He  had  travelled  much,  Komatzu, — 
fairly  round  the  world,  it  seems;  and  though 
he  dressed  not  in  the  garb  of  the  barbarian, 
he  knew  more  of  them  than  the  whole  of  this 
affected  court." 

"He  spoke  of  the  foreign  world ? " 

"  That  and  of  other  things." 

«  Other  things  ? " 

Her  voice  dragged  slowly  over  the  word  as 
she  spoke  in  answer. 

"  Masrgo  !  "  she  murmured  in  a  low  voice. 

"  And  who,  I  pray,  is  this  Masago  ?  " 

"  Masago,"  she  repeated ;  and  then  again, 
"  Masago.  Do  you  like  the  sound  of  the 
name,  cousin  ? " 

"  It  has  a  fair  but  common  sound.  The 
•morning  glory  '  is  esteemed.  It  is,  in  truth, 
a  pretty  name." 

"  But  not  so  sweet  as  —  Sado-ko.  Pray  you, 
say  so,  cousin." 

"  Why,  no ;  not  so  sweet,  so  rare,  so  royal. 
Who  but  a  princess  might  carry  such  a  name 


i',U« 


COUSIN    KOMATZU 


»59 


as  that  ?  Does  not  the  '  ko '  mean  '  royal '  and 
*  Sado,'  sweetest  name  for  maiden,  *  chastity  '  ?  " 

Her  restless  hands  unclasped.  She  raised  a 
tremblin    'ace. 

"  Kohiatzu,  I  would  exchange  that  royal 
name  for  the  simple  one  —  Masago." 

«  Princess ! " 

"  I  weary  of  that  title,  cousin." 

"  Who  is  this  Masago  ?  " 

"  A  simple,  happy  maid,  Komatzu.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  a  late  countryman  of  Echizen, 
and  now  a  famous  merchant  of  Tokyo." 

"  What  is  his  name  ? " 

"Yamada  Kwacho.  Ah,  I  see  you  start, 
Komatzu.  You,  too,  it  seems,  have  heard  the 
story  ? " 

«  And  you  ? " 

"  And  I.  But  not  until  he  came  to 
Komatzu." 

"  He  ?  —  this  artist-fellow  told  you  of  your 
father  ? " 

"  No.  His  coming  simply  widened  the  lips 
of  the  ever  open  mouths  of  my  sweet  maids 
of  honor.     By  a  female  chance  of  listening,  a 


i6o  DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 


sex. 


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weakness     common    to    our    race     and 
Komatzu,  I  heard  the  tale  retold." 

Komatzu  made  a  gesture  of  impatience. 

"Cousin,  I  apologize  for  the  vile  gossip 
with  which  my  palace  seems  infected." 

"  Oh,  spare  your  august  tongue,  Komatzu. 
'Twas  my  own  maids  who  spoke." 

"And  this  Masago  ?  I  do  not  altogether 
understand.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Yamada 
Kwacho  ? " 

"  A  daughter  of  his  wife,  Komatzu." 

The  subtle  meaning  of  her  words  was  not 
lost  upon  the  prince.     He  frowned. 

"What  relation  does  this  Masago  bear  to 
this  artist-man  ?  "  he  asked. 

Sado-ko  looked  up  at  him  in  the  now  fading 
moonlight,  but  did  not  answer.  The  expres- 
sion of  her  face  was  strange.  She  turned 
suddenly,  and  moved  with  slow  and  almost 
dreamy  step  toward  her  rooms,  Komatzu  fol- 
lowing at  her  side,  awaiting  her  reply. 

Sado-ko  paused  on  the  steps,  and  then 
she  answered  in  the  faintest  voice:  — 

"  Masago  is  his  bride  to  be,  Komatzu." 


COUSIN   KOMATZU 


i6i 


In  the  opening  of  the  shoji  she  paused  a 
space,  looking  up  at  the  sky. 

"The  moon  is  gone,"  she  said.  Her 
cousin  did  not  know  whether  to  him  she 
breathed  farewell,  or  to  the  moon,  for  she 
said :  — 

"  Sayonara !  "  and  then,  «  O  moon  ! " 


1 1 


I 


CHAPTER    XI 


A  MIRROR  AND  A  PHOTOGRAPH 


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CHAPTER  XI 


A    MIRROR    AND    A    PHOTOGRAPH 


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HY  do  you  weep?"  asked  Sado-ko. 
"O     noble     princess,"     stam- 
mered  Natsu-no,  "I    would   that 
you  could  weep  with  me." 

"  Maiden,  I  have  shed  all  the  tears  that  I 
can  spare." 

The  princess  arose,  to  stand  for  a  moment 
in  indecisive  silence.  For  the  space  of  an 
hour,  princess  and  maid  had  sat  in  silence  in 
the  darkened  chamber. 

"  Bring  a  light,  maiden,"  said  the  princess, 
"but  do  not  awaken  the  pages.  Serve  me 
to-night  alone." 

The  maid  bowed  obediently.  From  the 
adjoining  room  she  brought  a  lighted  andon, 
and  hesitatingly  set  it  on  the  floor,  looking 
wistfully  meanwhile  at  her  mistress. 

i6s 


1 66 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


l^      ! 


'    '    \ 


"  Go  now  to  your  deserved  sleep,  good 
maid,"  said  Sado-ko,  indicating  the  chamber 
beyond. 

"  And  you,  sweet  mistress  ? " 

"  I  will  not  need  your  further  offices  to-night." 

"  Pray  you,  dear  princess,  permit  the  hum- 
ble one  to  robe  you  for  the  night." 

"  I  have  spoken,  Natsu-no." 

The  maid  turned  unwillingly,  and  push- 
ing slowly  aside  the  sliding  doors,  disappeared 
within. 

Sado-ko  lifted  the  andon  and  carried  it 
across  the  room.  Holding  it  in  her  hand  on 
a  level  with  her  eyes,  she  examined  the  wall, 
and  found  a  sliding  panel.  This  she  pushed 
aside,  drew  from  out  the  recess  an  ancient 
rounded  mirror.  She  set  the  andon  on  the 
floor,  and  then  lay  down  beside  it.  Thus, 
lying  sidewise,  the  light  at  her  head,  she 
could  hold  the  mirror  before  her  face,  and 
see  the  reflection  within. 

For  a  long  time  she  seemed  to  study  the 
features  in  silence.  Then  sitting  up  again 
she  drew  from  her  sleeve  a  piece  of  modern 


A   MIRROR   AND   A   PHOTOGRAPH     167 

cardboard,  such  as  foreign  photographers  use. 
This  she  also  held  to  the  andon  light. 

The  face  which  had  looked  at  her  from 
the  mirror  now  stared  up  at  her  with  cold, 
inscrutable  eyes  from  the  photograph  in  her 
hand.  Yet  there  was  a  subtle  difference  in 
the  expression  of  the  face  of  the  mirror,  and 
that  of  the  card,  for  the  one  was  wistful, 
soul-eyed,  and  appealing,  while  the  other  was 
of  that  perfect  waxen  type  of  woman  whose 
soul  one  dreams  of  but  seldom  sees.  The 
one  was  the  face  of  the  statue,  the  other  that 
of  the  statue  come  to  life. 

Suddenly  Sado~ko  set  picture  and  mirror 
aside,  and  arising,  crossed  to  the  sliding  doors. 
These  she  pushed  apart. 

"  Maiden ! "  she  called  into  the  room, 
«  Natsu-no." 

The  tired  waiting-woman  was  asleep  by  the 
dividing  shoji.  She  awoke  with  a  start  and 
hastened  to  her  mistress,  murmuring  her 
apologies. 

"  Come  hither,"  said  the  princess.  "  I  have 
something  here  to  show  you." 


I>  i'  I 


i68 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


She  led  the  maid  by  the  sleeve  to  the  andon 
upon  the  floor.  Together  they  crouched  be- 
side it,  while  Sado-ko  gave  the  picture  into 
the  hands  of  Natsu-no.  The  maid  stared  at  it 
in  some  bewilderment,  then  held  it  further  in 
the  light. 

"  Tell  me,  maiden,  who  is  this  ?" 

Still  the  maid  held  it  in  the  light.  Her 
eyes  widened,  then  suddenly  she  bent  her 
head  before  the  pictured  face,  next  to  the 
floor. 

"  Who  is  this  ?  "  repeated  Sado-ko. 

"  You,  sweet  mistress,"  said  the  maid,  —  "a 
most  bewitching  honorable  likeness  of  your 
Highness." 

••You  are  sure?"  asked  Sado-ko,  smiling 
strangely. 

"  As  sure  as  that  the  night  is  night," 
declared  the  maid,  again  regarding  the  picture. 

"  Maiden,  does  a  princess  wear  flowers  in 
her  hair  ?  See,  there  is  the  bara  (rose)  to  either 
side  on  this  girl's  head." 

Natsu-no  started. 

"  No,  no,  exalted  one." 


i.ii 


m 


A   MIRROR   AND   A   PH    V  OGRAPH     169 

"  Did  ever  princess  wea.  jch  a  gown  as 
this,  my  maiden  ?  " 

"  Oh,  princess  !  "  The  woman  appeared 
shaken  with  a  sudden  terror. 

"  Do  not  drop  the  picture,  if  you  please," 
said  Sado-ko,  "  but  look  at  it  again.  Observe 
the  knotted  fashion  of  the  obi,  Natsu-no. 
Quite  in  the  style  of  a  geisha,  is  it  not?  —  or 
rather  the  poor  imitation  of  some  simple  maid 
who  would  copy  the  style  from  the  pleasure 
women." 

The  maid  dropped  the  picture  as  though  a 
thing  unclean.  At  that  motion  the  princess 
still  smiled,  but  more  inscrutably. 

"  Oh,  noble  princess,  what  evil  one  did  dare 
to  put  your  Highness's  face  upon  such  a  pic- 
ture ?     It  is  a  national  disgrace." 

Reflectively  Sado-ko  looked  at  the  picture. 

"Perhaps  it  was  the  gods,  O  Natsu-no," 
she  said,  as  silently  she  put  the  picture  in  her 
sleeve. 

She  arose,  regarding  her  maid's  emotion. 

"  Come,"  she  ordered,  "  undress  me  for  the 
night,  good  maiden,  for  I  am  very  tired,  and 


170 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


f<   i', 


to-morrow  —  to-morrow  we  must  go  upon  a 
journey." 

"  To  Tokyo,"  said  Natsu,  "  with  the  noble 
Prince  Komatzu's  suite,  and  oh,  sweet  mistress, 
life  will  have  a  happier  aspect  when  wc  leave 
this  melancholy  place." 

Lifting  her  hands  to  her  head,  Sado-ko 
withdrew  the  long  jewelled  pins.  Her  hair 
fell  in  midnight  glory  to  her  knees. 

Kneeling  by  her,  the  maid  tied  her  hair 
back,  a  very  old-fashioned  mode  which  the 
ladies  in  her  grandmother's  youth  were  fond  of 
following  when  retiring,  and  to  which  the 
Princess  Sado-ko  had  faithfully  adhered. 

"  Does  the  honorable  cortege  leave  before 
noon?"  asked  the  maid. 

"Yes." 

"And  all  the  kuge  (court  nobles)  and  the 
ladies,  also,  go  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"Then  I  must  haste.  The  sky  already 
lightens.  The  night  is  past.  When  will  my 
mistress  sleep  ? " 

"There  is  much  time  for  us  to  sleep  to- 


A   MIRROR   AND  A   PHOTOGRAPH     171 

morrow.  We  do  not  accompany  Prince 
Komatzu's  train,"  said  Sado-ko  in  a  low 
voice,  as  though  she  jpoke  half  to  herself. 

The  maid  paused  in  her  arrangement  of 
her  mistrMs's  couch,  and,  kneeling,  stared  at 
her. 

"Noble  princess,  did  you  not  just  now 
speak  of  a  journey  ? "  she  asked,  with  evident 
agitation. 

«  Yes,"  said  the  princess,  wearily ;  "  to-mor- 
row we  also  will  make  a  journey,  but  —  we 
go  alone!  Pray  you,  hurry  with  my  bed, 
Natzu-no." 

Without  speaking  the  maid  drew  the  robe 
about  the  princess,  now  upon  the  couch. 
Then  she  spread  her  own  quilt-mattress  at 
the  feet  of  her  mistress. 

"Good  night,  kind  maid,"  said  Sado-ko, 
and  closed  her  eyes. 

"Princess!"  cried  the  maid,  in  a  choked 
voice,  "foipve  the  insignificant  one,  but 
whither  do  we  journey  to-  vorrow  ? " 

"To  Kamakura,"  said  the  princess,  in  a 
dragging  voice;    she  was  tired  now.      "We 


172  DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 

will  go  for  a  little  while  — just  a  little  while, 
Natsu-no,  to  the  castle  Aoyama." 

The  maid  was  speechless.  When  she  found 
her  tongue,  its  faltering  sentences  betrayed  her 
agitation. 

"  Princess  —  the  artist-man  —  " 

"Has  gone  to-night.  Take  peace,  restless 
maid.     Good  night." 

"  But  whither,  Lady  Princess,  whither  went 
the  artist-man  ? " 

"  I  bid  you  speak  no  more.     Good  night." 


The  house  party  of  the  Pritice  Komatzu 
ended  the  following  day.  A  special  train  car- 
ried the  exalted  ones  back  to  Tokyo,  whither 
they  went  at  once  to  the  palace  Nijo,  for  there 
Komatzu  always  made  his  home  in  Tokyo, 
with  his  cousin,  the  Prince  of  Nijo. 

There  was  much  gossip  and  idle  conjecture 
in  the  party  as  to  the  caprice  of  the  Princess 
Sado-ko.  At  the  last  moment  she  had  de- 
spatched word  to  Komatzu,  saying  that  she 
would  not  travel  in  the  unholy  barbarian  train, 
but  preferred  to  proceed  leisurely  to  Tokyo 


A   MIRROR   AND   A   PHOTOGRAPH     173 

in  the  old-fashioned  but  honorable  mode  of 
travel,  —  by  kago  or  norimono.  Should  the 
journey  prove  too  tiresome  for  her  strength, 
she  would  stop  a  little  while  in  Kamakura,  at 
the  castle  Aoyama,  and  there  it  was  possible 
she  might  spend  a  day  or  two  in  maidenly 
retirement.  She  desired,  however,  that  her 
suite  should  not  await  her,  but  proceed  with 
the  train  to  Tokyo.  She  did  not  wish  to 
deprive  them  of  the  enjoyment  (to  them)  of 
the  peculiar  foreign  method  of  travel,  and 
would  need  only  her  personal  attendants, — 
eight  men  retainers,  whom  she  still  termed 
"samurai,"  the  chaperon,  old  Madame  Bara, 
and  her  waiting-woman,  Natsu-no. 


f  I 

m 


m 


CHAPTER   XII 
MISTS  OF   KAMAKURA 


CHAPTER  XII 


MISTS    OF    KAMAKURA 

THERE  were  marsh  lands  and  boggy 
rice-fields  in  the  valley  country  along 
the  Hayama,  and  during  the  season 
of  White  Dew  (end  of  August)  the  river  was 
low  and  scarcely  seemed  to  stir. 

In  the  early  morning  a  white  mist  arose  from 
it,  eerily  enshrouding  the  land  like  a  veil  of 
gauze,  evaporating,  and  disappearing  slowly. 
Sometimes,  too,  at  night  heavy  fogs  rose  up 
even  to  the  hills  and  obscured  all  sight  of 
land.  Oftentimes  the  traveller,  even  the 
native,  lost  his  way.  Tales  were  told  of  the 
smiling,  languorous  river,  whose  beauty,  siren- 
like, lured  her  victims  to  destruction. 

Even  the  villagers,  whose  homes  nestled  so 
cosily  in  the  fragrant  valleys,  did  not  venture 
out  on   foggy  nights  in    the  direction  of  the 

M  177 


I7« 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


river,  unless  attended  by  the  Hayama  guide, 
Oka,  who  boasted  he  could  find  his  way  blind- 
folded among  the  familiar  paths  of  Kamakura, 
even  to  the  very  water's  edge. 

Almost  beyond  sight  of  the  village,  above 
the  heads  of  the  sloping  hills,  the  lordly  castle 
Aoyama  looked  over  the  mists  of  the  valley  at 
Fuji  in  the  sky  distance. 

It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  A 
young  girl  sat  by  an  open  shoji,  motionless 
and  silent,  staring  up  at  the  ghost-like  hills. 
The  descending  mists  told  her  that  long  before 
the  darkness  came  all  sight  of  the  spot  upon 
which  she  gazed  would  be  obliterated.  She 
lingered  on  in  melancholy  discontent,  her  chin 
upon  her  hand,  her  embroidery  frame  idle  at 
her  side. 

Beyond  a  few  servants  of  the  household  no 
one  was  at  home  save  Masago.  She  knew 
that  her  thoughts  and  meditations  would  be 
free  from  interruption,  and  so  she  gave  her- 
self up  to  them  unreservedly,  with  inward 
passion. 

The  Yamada  house  was  situated  on  a  rising 


MISTS   OF   KAMAKURA 


»79 


eminence.  From  the  maiden  Masago's  case- 
ment the  golden  peaks  of  the  palace  Aoyama 
were  visible.  It  was  upon  these  points  that 
the  young  girl  fixed  her  eyes  with  a  vague 
expression  of  suffering,  wistfulness,  and  yearn- 
ing. 

What  were  th"  thoughts  of  Masago,  fresh 
from  the  training  of  a  modern  and  fashionable 
school  in  the  old  capital  of  Kyoto?  The 
dreams  that  had  stirred  the  apathetic  mind  of 
Ohano's  daughter  into  vs^e  discontent  had 
not  been  removed  by  the  months  of  schooling, 
but  were  more  definite,  and  therefore  more 
punful. 

In  Masago's  hands  was  the  same  picture  of 
the  martial  prince-hero  which  she  had  once  cut 
from  a  Chinese  magazine,  and  which  since  then 
she  had  never  ceased  to  adore.  Always  this 
shining  prince  was  entangled  in  her  other 
dreams.  Hands  and  eyes  now  both  were  fixed 
upon  her  heart's  desire. 

To  her  the  stately  palace  Aoyama  bespoke 
that  other  world,  intoxicating,  ecstatic,  desirable, 
upon  the  very  edge  of  which  she  might  not  even 


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i8o  DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 

cling, —  she   who  had  been  born  to  it.     Th-. 
innate  craving  of  the  Prince  of  Nijo  for  the 
sensations  of  the  upper  world  ate  at  the  very 
heart  of  the  daughter  of  Ohano.     To  her,  life 
in  this  world  was  the  most  desirable  thing  on 
earth ;    it  must   satisfy  every    craving  of    the 
mind   and    heart,  and   in    it,    Masago    knew, 
belonged-  her     hero-prince.      She    was     not 
the    only     humble    maiden     of  Japan    who 
secretly     worshipped     the     nation's     martial 
hero,  but  possibly  her  love  for  him  was  a  more 
personal    thing,    because   deep    in    the    girl's 
consciousness  always  was  the  knowledge  that 
she   might   have    been   worthy   of  him,    had 
not  the  irony  of  fate  willed  it  otherwise,  and 
set  her  here,  a  thing   apart   from  him,  caged 
and    guarded    by   such    surroundings,  —  she 
a  daughter  of  the  Prince  of  Nijo  and   blood 
niece  to  the  Emperor  of  Japan. 

Only   three   days   before   the  royal  fiancee 
ot  her  hero  had  arrived  at  the  palace  Aoyama. 
There,  sheltered,  nurtured,  and  watched  over 
the  favored  daughter  of  the  gods,  report  had 
said,  had  gone  into  maiden  retirement  pend- 


MISTS  OF  KAMAKURA 


i8i 


ing  her  nuptials.  Masago  thought  of  her 
with  feelings  akin  to  hatred,  impotent  and 
desperate,  but  ceaseless.  She  knew  that  on 
the  morrow  this  Princess  Sado-ko  would  re- 
sume her  journey  to  the  city  of  Tokyo.  Soon 
she  would  have  joined  her  lover,  her  future 
husband,  in  the  capital. 

"To-night,"  said  Masago,  moistening  her 
dry  lips,  "  she  will  think  of  him,  and  all  night 
long,  —  it  is  her  privilege.  While  I  —  I,  too, 
will  think  of  him  —  " 

She  hid  her  miserable  face  within  her  hands 
and  rocked  herself  to  and  fro,  thinking  of 
what  the  morrow  must  do  for  her.  She  knew 
that  Kamura  Junzo,  her  affianced,  had  returned 
to  Kamakura.  Had  not  her  parents  gone  this 
very  day  to  attend  a  family  council  ?  Masago 
had  been  glad  of  the  creeping  fog  which  slowly 
spread  across  the  land,  as  she  knew  this  would 
prevent  her  parents'  return  that  night.  She 
had  craved  for  these  moments  of  maiden 
privacy.  Soon  they  must  cease  when  she 
had  been  given  to  this  man  for  wife. 

A   servant    brought    Masago    her    evening 


l82 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


li 


,ii» 


ii 


i.*:^ 


tea,  which  the  girl  mechanically  drank  as  she 
nibbled  at  the  crisp  rice  cakes.  She  did  not 
speak  to  the  attendant  while  she  dined,  but 
continued  to  stare  before  her  through  the 
opened  shoji.  When  she  had  finished,  she 
clapped  her  hands,  at  which  signal  the  tray 
was  carried  away. 

The  shadow  and  the  fog  inter.. lingled,  dark- 
ening the  sky  without  and  deepening  the  twi- 
light gloom  of  the  room.  A  little  later  the 
servant  returned,  bringing  a  lighted  andon, 
which  she  set  significantly  by  the  silent  girl. 
Then  Masago  stirred  from  her  abstraction. 
She  saw  the  eyes  of  the  servant  upon  the 
picture  in  her  hand.  On  a  sudden,  savage 
impulse  she  leaped  to  her  feet  and  fairly 
sprung  upon  the  woman,  clutching  her  by  the 
shoulders. 

"  Always  look  !  Always  see  !  Foolwoman  !  " 
she  said  in  a  whisper  which  was  yet  a  cry. 

The  woman  shook  the  hands  from  her 
shoulders  by  simply  shrugging  the  latter  an- 
grily.    Then  she  replied  :  — 

"Eyes  are   made   to   look,  and  when  one 


3 

E 


k 

I 


\i 


li  I 


MISTS   OF   KAMAKURA 


185 


looks  one  sees ;  yet  eyes  have  not  the  tongue 
to  tell  what  they  see,  Masago." 

Turning  her  back  upon  the  servant,  the 
girl  walked  away. 

The  woman  glided  soundlessly  across  the 
room  and  disappeared  into  the  narrow  hall 
outside.  Silent  as  was  her  going,  yet  Ma- 
sago knew  she  was  gone.  She  turned  about 
with  a  sudden  movement  of  passionate  feel- 
ing. 

"  The  woman  knows ! "  she  said,  and  clasped 
her  hands  spasmodically. 

Then  up  and  down  she  paced  with  unquiet 
feet,  to  stand  still  a  moment,  beating  her  hands 
softly  together  and  biting  the  nails,  and  then 
again  to  pace  the  room.  She  threw  herself 
upon  the  floor.  Once  again  she  drew  the 
picture  from  her  sleeve,  to  press  it  to  her 
lips.  After  a  while  she  sat  up  stiflly,  as 
though  she  listened. 

"  Some  one  is  without  my  shoji  1 "  she  said, 
rising  uncertainly. 

She  heard  dim  voices  whispering  in  the 
corridor;  then  suddenly  the  loud,  shrill   cry 


1 86 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


of  a  runner  outside  the  house  and  the  sing- 
song, mellow  answer  of  the  guide  Oka. 
"  Heu  !    Heu  !    This  way !    Ah-ho !    So ! " 
Her  parents  had  returned  home  she  thought, 
as  she  ran  to  the  balcony.     She  leaned  over 
the  railing,  forgetting  the  murmured  voices  she 
had  already  heard  within  the  house  itself. 
"  Mother  !     Father !    You  have  returned  !  " 
The  cry  of  the  runner  floated   up  to  her 
through    the    dark    mist.     Then    the    loud, 
hoarse  cry  of  Oka,  the  guide,  proclaiming :  — 
"  August  guests  for  the  maid  Masago-san." 
The  girl's  eyes  expressed  astonishment. 
Guests   for    her!     and    at   such   an   hour! 
Surely    that  stupid    maid    would    not    admit 
them   till   she   had   learned   their   names  and 
mission.     She,  Masago,  was  but  a  maiden  and 
little  used  to  receiving  guests   unchaperoned 
within  her  father's   house.     Masago  had  for- 
gotten her  vague  thoughts  of  but  a  moment 
since.     Now  she  was  the  simple  daughter  of 
a  respectable  household,  agitated  at  the  unex- 
pected advent  of  evening  guests. 

"  No  doubt,"  she  thought,  "  they  come  to 


MISTS   OF    KAMAKURA 


187 


sec  my  father,  who  is  not  at  home.  I  must 
descend  and  beseech  them  to  remain  and  ven- 
ture not  out  again  into  the  fog,  though  Shaka 
knows  I  little  wished  for  guests  to-night." 

Sighing,  she  turned  back  to  her  room. 
Within  the  light  was  soft  but  clear,  for  an 
officious  one  had  brought  in  other  andons, 
and  by  the  hall  sliding  doors,  which  were 
opened,  Masago  saw  a  bright  Takahiri  (lan- 
tern) flickering  without.  By  this  light  she 
saw  a  kneeling  form,  crouching  with  head  to 
mats.  Over  her  the  servant  who  had  brought 
Masago  her  evening  meal  stt  ;tched  a  hand  to 
close  the  shoji. 

Then  Masago's  eyes  turned  to  that  other  one 
within  her  chamber,  and  coming  to  her  face, 
were  fixed.  She  started  back  a  pace,  her  lips 
apart.  Her  visitor  did  not  move  or  speak. 
In  silent,  strange  absorption  her  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  Masago's  face.  Thus  for  a  long 
moment  these  two  stood  and  looked  upon 
each  other,  neither  speaking,  neither  moving. 


i  i 


(I 


I 


r.i 


I  < 


« 


CHAPTER   XIII 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


*-^i^ 


^ 


^ 


ill 


ii\ 


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1 


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M 


CHAPTER   XIII 


DAUGHTERS    OF    NIJO 

MASAGO  spoke,  her  words  strangely 
enunciated. 
"  Lady  —  you  —  you   desired   to 
speak  with  me?" 

Her  voice  broke  the  spell  of  silence.  The 
visitor  bowed  her  head  simply  but  eloquently. 
Masago  went  a  nervous  siep  toward  her. 
There  was  fear  in  both  her  face  and  voice  as 
she  began  deprecatingly  :  — 

"  It  was  an  honorable  mistake,  lady,  that  you 
were  not  shown  within  the  ozashishi  (guest 
rocm).  I  beg  you,  lady,  will  you  not 
speak  ? " 

Her  fears  overcame  her  politeness.  There 
was  something  unreal,  strange,  almost  spiritual, 
in  this  woman  who  looked  at  her  with  her 
own  eyes.     For  Masago  almost   thought  she 

»9» 


m 


■vr 


W  :  i-' 


19a  DAUGH'  ERS   OF   NIJO 

dreamed,  and  that  she  stood  before  a  magic 
mirror  wherein  she  saw  reflected  her  own 
beauteous  image,  clad  as  only  in  dreams. 
But  the  vision  spoke,  and  Masago's  fright 
vanished. 

"  It  was  my  wish,"  she  said  in  a  low  voice, 
"  to  see  you  in  your  chamber.  I  begged  this 
privilege,  Masago." 

"  Then,  pray  you,  please  be  seated,"  urged 
the  girl.  She  brought  a  mat  and  set  it  for  the 
guest. 

The  visitor  stooped,  but  not  to  the  mat. 
She  lifted  up  an  andon,  and  carrying  it  in  her 
hand  went  closer  to  Masago. 

"A  moment  and  I  will  be  seated,  but  first  I 
wish  to  see  your  face  -—  quite  close." 

She  held  the  light  near  to  the  countenance 
of  Masago  and  scanned   her  startled  features. 
Then,  swinging  it  before  her  own,  she  said: 
"  Look  you  at  mine  also." 

Masago  started,  with  a  thrill  of  wondering 
amaze. 

"Now,"  said  the  other,  « I  will  be  seated, 
and  pray  you  also,  sit  by  me,  Masago." 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


193 


"  I  do  not  know  you,  lady,"  said  Masago, 
with  sudden  brusqueness.  "  I  pray  you,  speak 
your  mission  in  my  father's  house." 

The  other  smiled. 

"  Your  father's  house  !  "  she  repeated. 

"  Why  do  you  repeat  my  words  ? "  said 
Masago. 

«  I  was  told  the  Prince  of  Nijo  — " 

Masago  started  toward  her  with  a  little  cry, 
and  that  same  savage  movement  with  which 
she  had  sprung  upon  the  servant.  Though 
inwardly  she  cherished  thought  of  Nijo,  she 
could  not  bear  that  others  should  speak  of  it. 

"  You  come  here  to  insult  me ! "  she  cried, 
her  bosom  heaving  with  suppressed  excitement. 

"  Be  not  angry,"  said  the  other,  softly.  "  I 
came  but  to  speak  the  truth,  and  —  and  to 
gaze  upon  —  my  sister  !  " 

"  Sister !  "  The  word  escaped  the  lips  of 
Masago  like  a  cry  of  pain.    "You — you  are — " 

"  Sado-ko,"  she  answered,  smiling  still,  yet 
sadly. 

A  moment  Masago  stared  at  her  dumbly, 
then    with    an    indescribable    movement    she 


(I 


194 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


ii 


Mil 


knelt  down  at  the  princess's  feet  and  put  her 
head  upon  the  mats.  Sado-ko  bent  over  her, 
stooped,  touching  her  head. 

"I  pray  you,  kneel  not  thus  to  me,"  she 
said. 

Slowly  Masago  arose,  the  color  flowing  back 
into  her  pale  face  in  a  flood.  Her  eyes  were 
bright  and  vide  and  feverish.  That  moment's 
servile  impulse,  when  she  had  fallen  down 
upon  her  knees,  was  past.  She  looked  the 
Princess  Sado-ko  in  the  eyes,  with  conscious 
equality. 

"  Now,"  said  the  princess,  simply,  "will  you 
not  be  seated  ? " 

Silently  the  two  sought  the  mats.  Opposite 
each  other  they  sat,  each  with  her  eyes  upon 
the  other.  Each  spoke  at  once,  and  each  the 
same  words :  — 

"  You  know  then  —  " 

"  You  know  then  —  " 

They  bowed  their  heads.  Thus  both  con- 
fessed their  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  not  one 
of  them,  but  both,  were  daughters  of  the  Prince 
ofNijo,  and  hence  sisters.     Then  Masago:  — 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


'95 


"  Why  do  you  come  to  me,  exalted  princess  ? 
I  am  but  a  lowly  maiden,  who  cannot  even 
touch  the  hem  of  your  kimono." 

"  There  is  a  bitter  tone  within  your  voice," 
said  Sado-ko.     «  Why  is  it  so  ?  " 

Masago  did  not  answer,  and  the  princess 
continued :  — 

"Of  your  history  I  had  learned,  Masago. 
It  matters  not  how  or  where  or  when.  One 
spoke  of  you  with  —  love  —  " 

She  broke  off  sharply  to  wring  her  hands 
unconsciously. 

"  And  so  I  came  to  —  to  look  upon  you  — 
sister." 

"You  came  from  curiosity,"  said  Masago, 
in  that  same  bitter  tone.  "It  was  the  pass- 
ing whim  of  a  languid  princess,  bored  with 
her  greatness." 

"You  misjudgs  me,"  said  the  Princess 
Sado-ko,  with  a  sigh. 

"  Not  so,"  replied  Masago,  the  color  flam- 
ing in  her  face ;  "  I  can  but  recognize  that 
same  idle  fancy  that  also  once  possessed  your 
father  when  he  —  " 


n 


i 
IJ 


i 


;li 


:i 


N,.J 


If 
1    i 


rs 


r  I 


^   ' 


^V! 


196  DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 

She  bit  her  lips  and  turned  her  face  away. 
Angry  tears  clouded  her  eyes.  She  could 
not  speak  for  her  proud  emotion. 

"There  was  another  reason,"  said  the  prin- 
cess, softly.  «  Masago,  pray  turn  not  you. 
head  in  pride  from  me.  I  came  not  out  of 
condescension,  nor  yet  from  idle  curiosity,  but 
because  of  a  strange  hunger  of  my  heart,  which 
I  could  not  resist." 

"How  can  you  have  heart-hunger?"  asked 
Masago,  coldly. 

"Andwhy  not  I?"  Her  very  voice  was 
thnlhng  with  its  sadness.  Masago  would  not 
look  upon  her  face.  She  was  conscious  only 
of  that  raging  jealousy  and  pain  swelling  up 
in  her  breast. 

I  And  why  not  I  ? "  repeated  Sado-ko. 

"You,  who  are  a  princess  of  the  royal 
family  ! "  cried  Masago,  with  a  sudden  fierce- 
ness. « You,  of  whom  all  the  poets  in  the 
realm  have  sung  and  raved  !  You,  at  whose  feet 
the  whole  bright,  glittering  world  is  strewn  ' 
You,  the  cherished  Daughter  of  the  Sun -the 
bnde-to-be  of  the-  the  Prince  Komatzu  '  " 


*  t. 


DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 


197 


sai 


But    still   a  sad  and   wretched   woman, 
d  the 


o 


'rincess  Sado-ko. 
turned  upon  her  fiercely. 


you  are  so  sad,  as  you  say,"  she 


for 


Masag 

"And  if 
cried,  "who  can  have  pity  tor  your  sorrow 
Are  you,  then,  a  statue  that  you  do  not 
appreciate  these  priceless  gifts  of  all  the 
gods?" 

"  Masago,  gifts  unsought  are  oftentimes  not 
desired,  and  sometimes  those  which  glitter  in 
the  sun  do  but  reflect  its  light.  What  are 
the  gilded  outward  wrappings  of  the  gods  to 
me,  if  inwardly  still  my  heart  breaks  ? " 

"  Your  heart  breaks !  "  Masago  laughed  in 
scorn.  "  What,  you  —  who  are  about  to  marry 
the  noblest,  bravest,  the  most  divine — "  She 
broke  off,  holding  her  hands  to  her  throat. 

With  a  sudden  movement  the  Princess 
Sado-ko  bent  forward  and  looked  into  the 
averted  face  of  the  maid  Masago. 

"You!"  she  cried,  "you  love  this  — " 
She  could  not  finish  her  words. 

Masago  dropped  her  face  within  her 
hands. 


;i 


'If . 
St?  ' 


198  DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 

"I,"  she  said.  "Yes,  I— so  humble  — 
the  daughter  of — " 

"The  Prince  of  Nijo  !  "  whispered  Sado-ko. 

Slowly  the  hands  fell  from  the  girl's  face. 
Her  eyes  met  those  of  Sado-ko's. 


,i.| 


CHAPTER  XIV 


SOLUTION  OF  THE   GODS 


/ 


/ 


tu 


1;  * 


■^i 


I  If '  t 


CHAPTER  XIV 


SOLUTION    OF   THE    GODS 


i».y| 


A  WILD  flush  of  color  rushed  to  the 
face  of  Sado-ko ;  a  light  so  clear  as 
at  first  to  dazzle  her,  flashed  through 
her  mind. 

"  Masago  —  sister!"  she  cried.  "Oh,  the 
gods  give  me  solution  of  both  our  griefs ! " 

"  There  is,  alas !  none  for  mine,"  said 
Masago,  and  sullenly  wiped  away  the  tears. 

«  Listen  I " 

The  Princess  Sado-ko  leaned  over  and 
spoke  in  a    lowered  voice. 

"  You  are  aflianced  to  the  artist,  Kamuro 
Junzo.     Is  it  not  so,  Masago  ?  " 

A  motion  of  impatient  assent  was  the  girl's 
reply. 

"  And  you   do   not  joyfully  anticipate   the 


union 


ft 


aoi 


II!    .       M  > 


202  DAUGHiERS   OF   NIJO 

"  I  loathe  fhc  very  thought,"  returned 
Masago,  bitterly. 

The  princess  paused  a  moment  as  though  to 
master  her  amazement. 

"  Loathe  thought  of  union  with  Junzo ! " 
she  repeated,  then  laughed  with  almost  childish 
joy.  "It  is  not  strange— in  you,  perhaps. 
Now  listen  once  again,  and  pray  you,  answer 
me." 

"  I  am  listening,"  said  Masago,  with  sullen 
impatience.     "  I  will  also  answer,  princess." 

"Call  me  sister.  Name  me  Sado-ko,  I 
beg." 

'*  I  will  call  you  princess." 

"  Perhaps  you  will  not  do  so,  Masago,  when 
I  have  completed.  But  hear  me.  You  love 
your  home,  of  course,  and  also  your  good 
parents  ?  " 

"  It  is  said  I  am  of  an  honorably  dutiful  and 
filial    temperament,"    replied    Masago,  coldly. 

"  But,"  continued  Sado-ko,  "  there  are  other 
things  you  love  still  more  than  your  dear 
home  .?     It  is  possible  ? " 

"  It  is  so,"  replied  Masago,  briefly.     "  Do 


SOLUTION   OF    I'HE   GODS 


203 


not  look    surprised,  O  princrss.     Homes  are 
not  all  palaces,  nor  yet  are  parents  all  royal." 

"  Masago,"  said  the  princess  gently,  "  a 
palace  never  makes  a  home,  nor  royalty  a 
parent.  Your  home,"  she  looked  about  her 
with  approving  eyes,  —  "  it  is  most  sweet  and 
choice,  Masago." 

"  The  simple  cottage  of  a  merchant,"  said 
Masago. 

"  Your  parents  —  they  are  kind  ?  " 

"  They  are  kind,"  said  Masago,  and  for  the 
first  time  flushed  with    some  evident   feeling. 

"  And  you  have  little  brothers  —  yes  ?  " 
Sado-ko's  voice  was  wistful. 

"  Five  brothers.  They  are  >isy,  and 
sometimes,  princess,  rough  and  most  uncouth, 
and  therefore  tiresome." 

"  But  loving.     You  will   grant  that  ? " 

"Oh,  yes!" 

"You  were  unhappy  —  you  missed  them, 
did  you  not,  when  you  left  them  for  the 
school,  Masago  ? " 

"  I  was  free,"  said  the  girl,  slowly. 

"  Free !      Free    from    loving   home,    from 


204 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


parents  —  Junzo  —  all  who  loved  you.  Free! 
You  prize  such  freedom,  Masago  ? " 

The  girl  remained  silent,  her  head  drooping, 
her  brows  drawn.  Suddenly  she  raised  her 
face  defiantly. 

"  I  am  not  unappreciative  of  their  good 
qualities.  It  was  not  my  fault  that  I  was 
fashioned  —  so ! "  She  smote  her  hands 
against   her   breast  with  an    eloquent  gesture. 

"  Yet,  I  confess,  since  I  was  but  a  little 
child,  !  have  felt  like  one  oppressed  —  caged 
—  stifled!  Still  I  was  deemed  submissive! 
My  lips  were  sealed  in  silence.  I  was  patient, 
for  only  once  did  I  protest  against  the  dull 
monotony  of  my  lot.  I  asked  Yamada 
Kwacho  for  just  one  year  of  freedom.  I  did 
not  name  it  such,  but  such  it  was.  For  this 
small  respite,  Sado-ko,  I  tied  my  life  to  an- 
other's and  affianced  myself  to  Junzo.  It  whs 
a  bitter  moment." 

"  You  did  not  love  him  ? "  asked  the  prin- 
cess, in  a  timid,  most  beseeching  voice. 

"  I  did  not  even  look  upon  him,"  returned 
Masago,  impatiently.     "He   was  my  father's 


SOLUTION   CF  THE  GODS        205 

choice,  not  mine.  I  —nee,  look  here,  O  prin- 
cess ! "  She  held  before  the  eyes  of  Sado-ko 
the  printed  picture  of  the  Prince  Komatzu, 
then  continued  swiftly,  with  passionate  vehe- 
mence :  — 

"  This  was  my  hero !     I  went  up  to  Kyoto 

not  to  study." 

She  arose  and  began  to  walk  across  the 
chamber,  clasping  and  unclasping  her  hands 
as  »he  spoke. 

«*  I  saw  the  noble  palaces  of  my  ancestors, 

yrs,   mine!     I    lingered,   wandered   in   the 

strec  outside— think  of  it!— outside  the 
walls!  I  watched  at  every  gate,  and  saw 
the  corteges  and  the  trains  of  the  nobles  and 
the  princes  pass  and  repass  back  and  forth  ; 
and  oh !  while  I  must  fall  upon  my  face— I! 
And  once,  just  once,  I  touched  the  august 
sword  of  Prince  Komatzu.  Thus!  It  was 
thus  I  did  so." 

She   swung   her   long   sleeve   till   it  barely 
grazed  the  head  of  Sado-ko,  in  illustration. 

"  'Twas  in  a  public  place  he  spoke.     They 
set  him  up  like  any  common  man !     He  was 


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111 
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DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


so  noble,  so  great.  O  princess !  he  spoke 
to  all  that  gaping  herd  like  man  to  man, 
with  less  of  condescension  than  the  lordly 
politicians  of  the  capital,  —  he  whose  august 
feet  should  not  have  deigned  to  touch  the 
earth." 

"  Nay,"  interposed  the  princess,  smiling 
quietly,  "  Komatzu  is  a  modern.  The  times 
have  changed,  Masago.  No  longer  are  the 
royal  ones  called  gods." 

"  Yet  like  unto  a  god  he  was,"  declared 
the  girl,  "  for  I  saw  with  these  eyes." 

"  Which  love  had  sweetly  blinded,"  smiled 
the  princess,  sympathetically.  She,  also,  arose, 
and  put  her  hand  upon  Masago's  arm,  leaning 
against  her. 

''  Masago,"  she  said,  in  her  low,  winning 
voice.  "  if  you  could  do  so,  would  you  change 
your  simple  home  for  the  roya)  court  and  all 
its  glamour  ? " 

"  Ask  the  birds  if  they  prefer  the  wide,  free 
sky  to  the  dark  sea." 

"  Would  you,  then,  exchange  your  state  for 
—  mine,  Masago  ? " 


SOLUTION   OF  THE   GODS        207 

Slowly  the  girl  turned  her  face  and  looked 
into  the  pleading  eyes  of  Sado-ko.  Her  voice 
was  hoarse.     She  said  :  — 

"You  give  me  wilful  pain,  O  princess. 
Why?      You  know  full  well   that  could   nui 

be." 

"Why  not?"  asked  Sado-ko,  whisperingly. 

"  No,  no  ! "  Masago  recoiled,  her  incredu- 
lous eyes  fixed  as  if  fascinated  on  the  face  of 
Sado-ko.  The  princess  placed  her  hands  on 
the  shoulders  of  Masago,  and  brought  her  face 

close  to  hers. 

"Look    into   the   mirror  —  Sado-ko,"    said 

she. 

«  Sado-ko !     You  call  me  by  your  nf\me  ! " 
"And  pray  you,  call  me  — Masago." 
"  Oh,  no  !     Oh,  no  ! " 
"You  will  not  change  with  me?" 
"Oh,   oh!"      Masago   had   become   white 
as  death,  as  though  she  were  about  to  faiir 
"Will  you  not  do  so?"  still  pleaded  the 
now  almost  despairing  voice  of  Sado-ko. 
"I  dare  not  — dare  not,"  she  murmured. 
There  was  silence  now  in  the  room.     The 


>li 


V-}-\l 


W\ 


208  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

dim  sounds  of  the  world  about  them  did  not 
reach  the  ears  of  these  two.  Masago  had 
reached  out  a  trembling  hand  to  support  her- 
b<jlf  ugainsc  the  framework  of  the  wall.  Sado-ko 
watched  her  with  a  yearning,  melancholy  ex- 
pression in  her  face.  Suddenly  she  turned 
away. 

"  You  were  right,  Masago,"  she  said  slowly, 
"It  could  not  be."  She  paused,  then,  sigh- 
ing, mov-d  with  drooping  head  toward  the 
doors  of  rhe  corridor. 

"  Sayonara  —  sister,"  she  softly  breathed. 

That  word  of  firewell  broke  the  tension 
of  the  dazed  Masago.  She  sprang  with  a 
cry  after  the  departing  one.  Both  of  the 
princess's  sleeves  were  in  her  grasp. 

"  Go  not  yet !  "  she  cried.    "  Do  not  go  !  " 

She  fell  grovelling  upon  her  knees,  still 
clinging  to  the  long  sleeves  of  the  princess, 
and  hid  her  face  in  rhe  folds  of  Sado-ko's 
kimono.  Then,  with  her  face  muffled  in  the 
gown,  she  spoke:  — 

"  I  could  not  grasp  the  meaning  of  your 
words —     My  heart  kaped   up  and  burst  — 


SOLUTION   OF   THE   GODS         209 

I  could  not  think,  i  pray  you,  do  not  take 
my  joy  away  while  yet  1  barely  grasp  it  in 
my  hands,  Princess  Sado-ko  !  " 

«  You  do  consent !  "  said  Sado-ko,  h-nding 
over  her,  while  a  strange  light  of  excitement 
came  into  her  eyes. 

"  Consent !  On  my  knees  I  could  pray  to 
you,  as  to  a  god,  to  grant  this  thing  you  sug- 
gest for  a  caprice." 


St! 


■# 


CHAPTER    XV 


THE   CHANGE 


i 


\^yM 


M 


CHAPTER   XV 


H 


THE    CHANGE 

USH  !      Do  not   speak   so   loudly, 
Masago ! " 

"  How  you  tremble,  Sado-ko." 

"We  have  once  more  mistaken  our  names," 
said  she  who  was  the  Princess   Sado-ko. 

"Oh,  true.  Now  call  me  Sado-ko!  No, 
call  me  noble  princess,  most  divine,  exalted, 
august,  royal  princess  !     Call  me  so  !  " 

"A  princess  is  not  so  addressed,"  replied 
the  other,  smiling,  "save  sometimes  by  a 
servile,  ignorant  one." 

"  I  fear  I  will  be  sure  to  make  the  most 
absurd  mistakes." 

"So!  Then  the  whole  court  will  call  it 
'  A    new    caprice    of    the     foolish     Princess 

Sado-ko.' " 

"Again,  if  you  please — call  me  Sado-ko." 
"  Princess  Sado-ko  !  " 

213 


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214 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


i  i'UT 


"  Masago ! " 

"  Nay,  call  me  simply  *  sister,* "  said  the 
other,  in  a  trembling  voice. 

"  Sister  —  there  !  Does  not  this  beauteous 
robe  become  me  well  r " 

"  As  though  it  were  made  alone  for  you, 
Masago." 

"  No,  no,  —  Princess  Sado-ko  !  " 

"  I  bow  my  humble  head  unto  the  dust, 
most  royal  Princess  Sado-ko ! " 

In  mock  humility  the  new  Masago  bowed 
before  the  old  Masago. 

"  Yet,"  said  the  latter,  with  her  red  lips 
pursed  in  thought,  "  they  say  it  is  the  latest 
fashion  of  the  court  to  wear  the  foreign  style 
of  dress.     Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

"Yes.     It  is  so." 

"  Oh,  Joyful !  Such  beautiful  and  gorgeous 
gov;ns  as  I  shall  wear.  I  will  send  at  once 
to  all  the  most  famous  foreign  cities.  Let  me 
see,  —  to  Holland,  and  to  —  " 

"  The  Princess  Sado-ko  never  liked  the  for- 
eign gown,"  interrupted  the  other,  shaking  her 
head  a  trifle  sadly. 


THE   CHANGE 


a»5 


"  But  you  spoke  just  now  of  the  caprices 
of  that  same  Princess  Sado-ko.  She  has 
already  another  one." 

Then  up  and  down  the  room,  in  the  long, 
trailing  robe  of  Princess  Sado-ko,  walked, 
peacock-like,  the  maiden  Masago ;  while  close 
at  hand,  with  dreamy  face  and  dewy  eyes, 
clad  in  a  simple  crepe  kimono,  and  with 
flowers  —  no  longer  jewels  —  in  her  hair,  stood 
Sado-ko. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  the  vain  and  eager  Masago, 
"when  the  noble  Prince  Komatzu  shall  greet 
me  so,"  —  she  bowed  with  assumed  gallantry 
— "  will  I  bow  thus  ?  "  Down  to  the  mat 
she  bent  her  head. 

"  Why,  no  ;  but  thus."  Gracefully,  simply 
she  illustrated.  "  A  low,  but  not  too  low, 
obeisance.  You  are  of  equal  rank,  Masa  — 
princess ! " 

«  So  —  like  this  ? " 

"  No ;  this  way." 

"  Well,  it  will  take  me  twenty  hours  to  prac- 
tise thus.    I  will  not  sleep  till  I  accomplish  it." 

"  Oh,  you  will  learn.      Bow   as   you   will. 


Mi 


'( 


i,6  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

Masago.     Komatzu   will   declare   your    mood 
has  changed,  and  still  insist  that  you  arc  fair." 
Stooping   in   her   posing,  Masago  stared  a 
moment  at  the  other. 

«  Perhaps  already  he  has  whispered  words 
of  love  to  you,  then?"  Her  voice  was 
sharply  jealous. 

««No,  my  cousin  does  not  know  me  quite 
as  yet.     You  will  make  him  better  acquainted 
with  Princess  Sado-ko." 
"Ah,  that  I  will!" 

She  raised  her  long,  slim  arms  from  out  the 
graceful  sleeves.  Her  hands  she  clasped  be- 
hind her  head. 

"  Oh,  what  a  glorious  dream  it  is  ! "  she 
said  ;  then,  in  quick  alarm,  "  A  dream  ?  Say 
that  it  is  not  all  a  dream." 

But  Sado-ko  sat  staring  quietly  into  the 
future.    When  she  raised  her  eyes,  they  softly 

gleamed. 

"  A  dream  it  is  —  a  dream,  and  yet  —  Oh, 
Kuonnon,  let  us  net  awake!" 

"Ah,  how  can  you  be  so  glad  — you  who 
are  to  stay  here  only  Masago?" 


"Then  up  and  down  the  room,  in  the  !ong,  trailing  robe  ot 
Princess  Sado-ko,  walked,  peacock-like,  the  maiden 
Masago." 


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;;-=K 


■AiHi 


THE   CHANGE 


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"  Masago,"  repeated  the  other,  softly. 
"That  is  well."  She  raised  a  flushing  face. 
"  I  am  liko  a  bird  set  free,  Masago.  My  very 
voice  is  sore  to  sing." 

Masago  threw  herself  upon  the  floor  beside 
her. 

"That  is  how  I  feel,  also,"  she  said. 

They  smiled  into  each  other's  faces,  then 
drew  closer  together,  their  sympathy  for  each 
other  growing. 

"  Here  is  some  homely  counsel,"  said  Ma- 
sago. "  Confide  small  matters  to  my  mother, 
and  lead  her  on  to  gossip  much  with  you. 
She  will  tell  you  everything  there  is  to  know. 
She  is  so  simple  —  so  foolish.  A  little  wit 
upon  your  part  will  quickly  disarm  any  sus- 
picion she  might  have.  But  be  not  free  in 
speech  with  Yamad?  Knacho,  your  new  father. 
A  cold  and  constrained  space  has  always  been 
between  us.  Do  not  let  the  children  disturb 
you  with  their  prattle,  and  oh,  also,  pray  you 
show  some  pride  to  certain  neighbors,  for 
none  in  all  the  town  have  had  the  same 
up-bringing  as  Masago." 


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If.    ,i'  - 


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220 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"And  is  that  all,  —  these  simple  facts  that 
I  must  heed  to  be  Masago  ?  " 

"All.     It  is  a  dull  and  simple  life." 

"And  you.  Pray  trust  not  the  ladies  of 
my  suite.  They  do  most  heartily  detest  the 
Princess  Sado-ko,  who  is  given  to  seclusion, 
which  has  often  deprived  them  of  much  gay 
pleasures  of  the  new  court." 

"  But  I  will  change  all  that,"  said  Masago. 

"That  is  true."  She  sighed.  "  Well,  then, 
there  is  nothing  else  to  say.  But  stay  !  My 
maiden,  Natsu-no.  Oh,  pray  you,  dear  Ma- 
sago, treat  her  with  the  greatest  kindness, 
will  you  not?" 

"I  will." 

"  She  is  even  now  without  this  room,  wait- 
ing for  me,  with  that  dear  patience  with  which 
she  watches  and  guards  me  at  all  times.  You 
know,  Masago,  she  has  been  with  me  since  I 
was  but  a  baby.  Alas,  I  shall  suffer  for  her 
loss ! " 

Tears  for  a  moment  dimmed  the  eyes  of 
Sado-ko. 

"  What   more  ?  "   asked   Masago,  surveying 


THE   CHANGE 


221 


with  delight  the  width  and  beauty  of  her 
obi. 

"  What  else  ?  Well,  Masago,  there  is  one 
other  rjaiter.  In  the  garden  of  the  Palace 
Nij  )  there  hang;  an  open  cage,  just  without 
my  :h  jiiber.  It  is  the  home  of  my  dear 
nightingale." 

«  A  bird  ?  " 

"A  little  bird.  Listen,  there  is  a  pretty 
story  you  would  like  to  hear.  Once  in  the 
spring,  while  I  was  yet  a  little  girl,  and  griev- 
ing for  my  most  beloved  grandmother,  his 
Majesty,  the  Emperor,  sent  me  as  a  gift  of 
consolation  a  nightingale  within  a  golden  cage. 
It  sang  so  sweetly  to  me  that  I  was  entranced 
with  delight,  and  when  the  days  were  warm 
would  hang  the  cage  upon  my  balcony.  The 
garden  close  at  hand  was  fragrant  with  the 
odor  of  the  cherry  and  the  plum,  and  allured 
many  other  nightingales  to  make  their  home 
there.  The  little  birds  noticed  their  play- 
mate in  the  cage,  and  when,  at  evening,  they 
saw  no  one  in  sight  —  for  I  was  hidden  be- 
hind my  shoji  screen  —  they  would  approach 


222 


DAUGHTERS   OF    NIJO 


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I 
ii 

i; 
■'ill 

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the  c-ige,  and  sing  all  merrily  together.  These 
honorably  sweet  serenades  gave  me  double 
joy,  as  you  may  imagine,  and  I  soon  learned 
to  distinguish  the  voices  without  and  that  one 
within  the  cage.  At  first  I  thought  the  song 
of  my  own  bird  within  the  cao-e  sounded 
sweeter  even  than  those  without.  Then  in  a 
little  while  it  became  hard  to  distinguish  them, 
and  at  last  I  could  not  hear  the  voice  of  my 
small  nightingale  at  all." 

She  paused  a  moment,  as  though  in  thought, 
then  resumed;  her  eyes  sweet  with  moisture. 

"  I  pondered  over  this  odd  change,  Masago, 
and  then  I  thought  that  it  must  be  because 
those  without  enjoyed  their  freedom  in  the 
open  air,  while  my  poor  little  bird  was  shut 
within  the  narrow  limits  of  its  cage." 

Her  eyes  became  more  tender  still  as  she 
proceeded. 

"  So  I  opened  wide  the  door,  Masago,  and 
let  my  little  bird  go  free." 

"Why,  then,"  spoke  the  other,  "it  is  gone. 
How  foolish  you  were,  Sado-ko." 

The  princess  shook  her  head. 


.-^I 


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Then  sot't  alighted  on  a  ihcrry  tree 
iis  ^\vcet  song.' 


and  111  led  the  air  with 


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in 


Fi   (1 


THE   CHANGE 


225 


«  I  thought,  like  you,  that  it  would  fly  far, 

far  away,  but  no !     It   only  flew   above   my 

head  a  space,  then  soft  alighted  on  a  cherry  tree 

close  by,  and  filled  the  air  with  its  sweet  song." 

"  But  since  ?  " 

'♦Since  then,  Masago,  the  -age  is  always 
opened  wide.  Yet  still  the  nightingale  makes 
its  home  within." 

«  It  is  a  pretty  tale,"  said  Masago,  thought- 
fully, "but  I  should  fear  to  lose  the  bird." 

She  arose  and  began  once  more  to  survey 
the  long  folds  of  her  silken  gown. 

Sado-ko  looked  at  her  in  silence,  an  expres- 
sion of  wistfulness  about  her  eyes. 

«  It  must  be  late,"  said  Masago.     "  The  fog 
is  thick  without.     Should  I  not  go  now?" 
Silently  the  princess  arose. 
"You  are  eager  to  try  the  new  life,"  she 
said,    smiling     sadly,    then    sighing. 

«  Yes,  I  am  eager,"  said  Masago.     «  Who 

would  not  be  ?  " 

«  Oka,  the  guide,  is  without,  Masago.     He 

is  safe,  is   he   not?" 
"Oh,  surely." 

p 


m 


226  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

"  Then  there  will  be  no  peril  in  your  return 
to  Aoyama  ? " 

"Oh,  none,"  said  Masago,  then  hesitated 
a  moment.  "  But  I  do  not  think  I  will  go 
there  to-night."  She  appeared  to  be  turning 
something  over  in  her  mind.  The  princess 
watched   her  doubtful   face. 

"  I  would  much  rather  go  to  Tokyo 
straightway,"   said   Masago. 

"That  is  well,  then,"  the  other  assented. 
"But  first  you  will  need  to  go  up  to  the 
palace,  for  there  your  attendants  still  remain. 
Then  I  would  advise  that  you  leave  to-night 
by  norimono.  Speak  little  to  the  maiden, 
Natsu-no,  who  is  keen-eared  and  keener  eyed ; 
but  if  you  so  desire,  make  inquiries  of  the 
Madame  Bara,  the  chaperone.  She  is  absent- 
minded  and  stupid." 

"I  do  not  wish  to  trave!  by  norimon," 
said  Masago.  Then  clasping  her  hands,  she 
said,  «  Oh,  I  have  long  desired  to  travel  in 
great  royal  state  in  a  private  train,  such  as  it 
is  said   the  Prince   Komatzu   uses." 

"Very  well,  then.      But  give   your  orders 


Uk 


THE  CHANGE  ^t^ 

at   the   palace.      You  will  be  obeyed.      And 
now  —  you  are  going  ?  " 

"  Shaka  !     I  begin  to  tremble." 
«  And  I,"  said  Sado-ko,  tremulously. 
"Will  not  the  m£iid  discover  —  " 
«  Masago,  bear  in  mind,  the  maid  is  but  a 
maid.     Treat  her  so." 

"Ah,  true!    Yet   you   bade   me    be   most 
kind  to  her." 

"  Kind,  but  not  familiar." 
"Oh,  I  will  try.     Now,  what  must  I  do 
to  call  her?" 

"Why,  clap  your  hands." 
«  So  simple  a  signal  for  a  princess  ?  " 
"  Yes.     Just  so.     I  will  illustrate." 
Her  little  signal  sounded  sharp  and  clear. 
Masago   started   and    trembled   at  its  sound. 
Then  she  turned   toward  the  opening   doors. 
She    heard    the    low    voice    of   the    princess 
v;hispering  close  be  ide  her. 

"  Speak  to  her.      Say,  '  Maid,  take  up  the 

light.' " 

Masago  walked  with  faltering  steps  toward 
the   doors.       Her   voice    shook    a    moment, 


a  ■! 


il 


m 


I    '• 


It! 


228  DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 

then  raised  in  nervousness,  it  sounded  oddly 
harsh. 

"  Take  up  the  light ! "  she  said. 
But    at    her    voice    the    sleepy    Nacsu-no 
started,  turned,  and  looked  up  at  her  face  in 
wide-eyed  surprise  and  growing  fear ;  then  her 
eyes  went  slowly  to  that  other  one,  now  with 
her  back  toward    her  near  the  shadow  of  the 
shoji,  the  bright  outline  of  her  huge  obi  bow 
alone  in   the   light.      Natsu-no,  shaking  and 
trembling,  advanced  a  pace  toward  her,  glanc- 
ing fearfully  meanwhile  at  that  object  standing 
there  in  her  mistress's  habiliments,  yet  in  so 
strange  and  unfamiliar  aspect. 

Masago  moved  to  cover  her  intense  ner- 
vousness.    The  maid's  voice  quavered. 

"Exalted  princess,  I  — I  —  "  She  stam- 
mered over  her  words.  Self-confidence  as- 
serted itself  in  Masago.  She  raised  her 
head  imperiously. 

"Take  up  the  light  and  follow  me!" 
she   said. 

Trembling,  dumb,  and  horror-stricken,  the 
maid  obeyed,  for  she  had  caught  one  quick, 
clear  glimpse  of  that  sweet  other  face. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


A  FAMILY  COUNCIL 


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CHAPTER  XVI 


A    FAMILY    COUNCIL 

THE  Kamura  house  was  built  on  a  hill 
slope.  Of  all  the  houses  of  the 
suburb,  it  was  nearest  to  the  palace 
Aoyama.  Shortly  after  the  Restoration  the 
elder  Kamura  had  been  a  retainer  of  a  kuge 
in  the  service  of  his  late  Majesty.  Thus  he 
received  permission  to  build  his  house  near 
to  the  summer  chariot  (throne)  of  the  Sons  of 
Heaven  (Imperial  family). 

It  was  a  restful  dwelling,  its  lower  story  sur- 
rounded by  verandas,  while  small,  flower- 
laden  balconies  were  upon  the  upper  story. 
The  gardens  were  artistic  in  their  arrangement, 
showing  the  youthful  labors  of  Junzo  and  his 
younger  brothers.  In  his  earlier  years  Junzo 
had  been  ambitious  to  become  an  artist  gar- 
dener, —  a  most  honorable  calling  in  Japan,  — 

331 


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'»'1: 


232  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

and  so  upon  the  few  acres  of  land  belonging  to 
his  father  he  had  spent  the  first  passion  of 
the  artist. 

With  the  aid  of  his  brothers  he  had  carried 
from  the  river  heaps  of  white  pebbles,  which 
were  placed  at  angles  of  the  flower  beds;  while 
between  the  pebbles  the  fine  embroidered  ferns 
pushed  up  their  fresh  green  heads.  A  trellis- 
work  arched  the  garden  gate,  weighted  down 
by  vines  and  wistaria.  The  arms  of  the  pine 
were  trimmed ;  a  stately  camphor  tree  shaded 
the  house  verandas.  At  intervals  through 
the  garden,  cherry,  plum,  peach,  and  quince 
trees  contributed  their  share  of  blossoms,  fruit, 
and  fragrance. 

From  the  upper  story  the  outlook  was  pic- 
turesque. To  the  eastward  were  the  Aoyama 
parks  and  the  white  walls  of  the  palace  gar- 
dens ;  on  the  north,  beyond  the  wooded  parks, 
were  mountain  ranges  ;  on  the  west  the  village, 
Kamakura,  close  to  the  shore  of  the  playful 
yet  mist-dangerous  Hayama;  while  to  the 
southward,  over  the  hills  and  through  the 
valleys,  the  great  white  highway  led  to  Tokyo. 


A    FAMILY   COUNCIL 


133 


On  the  afternoon  ^  the  family  council  the 
guests  were  ushered  upstairs,  where  all  the 
shojis  had  been  removed,  thus  making  a  cool 
pavilion  of  the  story.  Every  male  relative  of 
the  Kamura  family  had  dutifully  accepted  the 
invitation,  since  they  were  old-fashioned  and 
most  punctilious  in  the  observance  of  family 
and  social  etiquette. 

After  the  usual  exchange  of  salutations, 
Madame  Kamura  and  her  young  daughter, 
Haru-no,  brought  tea  and  tobacco  for  the 
men.  Then  with  graceful  prostrations  they 
made  their  excuses,  and,  taking  Ohano  with 
them,  retired  to  another  portion  of  the  house. 
The  women's  retirement  was  the  signal  for  the 
council's  beginning. 

Kamura,  the  first  to  speak,  showed  apparent 
reluctance,  while  at  the  same  time  he  nervously 
tapped  his  pipe  upon  the  hibachi. 

«  Honorable  relatives,"  he  said,  bowing  to 
the  company,  and  then  turning  toward  Yamada 
Kwacho,  "  and  most  esteemed  friend  and  neigh- 
bor, it  gives  me  pain  to  be  forced  to  make 
apology  for  the  absence  of  my  son  Junzo." 


i^ 


lU 


'"■t 


234 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


He  paused,  and,  to  cover  his  discomposure, 
solemnly  filled  and  lighted  his  pipe  again, 
while  the  relatives  masked  their  surprise  with 
polite,  impassive  expressions. 

"  My  son,"  continued  Kamura,  "  arrived  last 
night  from  Tokyo.  I  doubt  not  for  a  moment, 
but  that  it  was  his  honorable  purpose  and  in- 
tention to  attend  our  council,  which  you  all 
know  was^  called  to  arrange  the  preliminaries 
of  the  wedding  ceremony  of  my  son,  Kamura 
Junzo,  and  the  most  virtuous  and  estimable 
Masago." 

Again  the  old  man  paused  to  glance  in  a 
half-appealing  way  at  his  son  Okido,  the  next 
in  age  to  Junzo,  who  sat  at  his  left  side.  On 
Kamura's  right  the  seat  was  vacant.  This  was 
Junzo's  place. 

"  Last  night,"  continued  Kamura,  "  my  son 
was  certainly  ill  in  health ;  he  was  pale  of  face 
and  absent  in  both  look  and  speech.  I  set  it 
down  to  the  most  natural  rnood  of  youth  about 
to  wed.  We  all,  good  sirs,  have  felt  that  happy 
sense  of  melancholy  peculiar  to  this  stage  of 


our  careers. 


A  FAMILY  COUNCIL 


ass 


Some  of  the  guests  smiled,  and  nodded  their 
heads,  assenting  to  this  fact ;  others  looked  at 
one  another  somewhat  dubiously. 

"And    so,"     continued    their    host,     "we 
thought  it  wisdom   not  to  broach  the  subject 
of  our  council.     When  morning  came  Junzo 
was  still  pale  and  constrained.     His   mother 
spoke  in  delicate  terms  of  the  council  planned, 
and  he  mildly  acquiesced  in  all  she  said.     At 
noon  he   barely  touched  his   meal.     He   ap- 
peared so    listless,   that   no   member   of   the 
family  had  the  heart  to  break  upon  his  medi- 
tations.    Hence,  when  he  walked  in  seeming 
moodiness  about   the  gardens,  then   suddenly 
turned  and  wandered  toward  the  hills,  I  sim- 
ply bade  my  son  Okido  follow  him  at  respect- 
ful distance.     To  be  more  brief,  good  friends, 
it  seems  that  Junzo  followed  a  straight  cou  se 
along  the  hills,  and,  coming  to  the  palace  walls 
of    Aoyama,    ventured     beyond     the     gates. 
Okido,  being  an  obedient  and  filial  son,  has- 
tened home   to   acquaint  his  father  with   the 
facts.     Since  then  my  son  has  not  returned." 
"  He  ventured  beyond  the  palace   gates ! " 


f 


it: 


l\ 


236 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


JV 


Li>fM 


exclaimed  Yamada  Kwacho.     "  Had  he  a  pass, 
Kamura? " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  the  old  man,  simply. 
"You  have  already  heard  my  son  has  fame 
at  court.  I  have  accounted  for  his  absent 
state  of  mind  by  the  fact  that,  being  young 
and  new  to  favor,  his  mind  is  filled  with 
thought  of  his  art  and  work." 

"And  he  has  not  returned?"  queried 
sharply  an  uncle. 

"  Not  yet,"  said  Kamura,  bowing  cour- 
teously. 

"  I  trust  he  has  not  come  to  harm,"  said 
another  relative,  with  concern.  "  It  is  said  the 
palace  once  again  is  opened,  and  that  the  noble 
Princess  Sado-ko  is  there  in  maiden  retire- 
ment." 

"There  is  time  for  his  return,"  declared 
Kamura,  with  dignity.  "I  trust  you  all  will 
stay  with  me.  What  say  you,  my  good  friend 
Kwacho  ? " 

"  Assuredly,  I  will  stay,"  assented  the  gruff 
and  honest  Kwacho. 

"And  I." 


i 


A   FAMILY   COUNCIL 


237 


"And  I." 

Thus  from  all  the  guests. 

They  sat  late  into  the  afternoon,  beguiled 
by  sake,  tea,  and  the  dreamy  day.  The  mel- 
low light  of  the  sun  was  softly  dulled  by  the 
white  haze  which  crept  up  to  the  sky  from  out 
the  river.  The  white  mist  deepened,  turning 
softly  gray,  then  darkened  imperceptibly.  A 
breeze  sprang  up  from  the  west,  sweeping  with 
briskness  through  the  opened  story  of  the 
Kamura  house. 

Yamada  Kwacho  contracted  his  brows,  as 
he  looked  uneasily  at  the  darkened  sky. 
As  though  he  read  his  thoughts,  the  patient 
voicw  of  his  host  said  simply :  — 

"  It  is  but  the  hour  of  four." 

"  Yet  see  how  strangely,  weirdly  dark,"  said 
a  young  cousin,  pointing  out  toward  the  river. 
"There  seems  a  cloud  upon  the  Hayama, 
Cousin  Kamura." 

"A  habit  of  this  country  hereabouts,"  said 
Kwacho,  answering  for  his  host.  "Sometimes 
the  mists  arise  while  it  is  yet  noon,  and,  creep- 
ing across  the  skies,  darken  and  thicken  in  a 


238 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


fog  so  dense  that  even  a  tailless  cat  might  lose 
its  way." 

The  young  Kamura  cousin  shuddered,  and 
looked  with  apprehension  at  the  ever  clouding 
sky. 

Yet  time  slipped  quickly  by  for  these 
easeful,  somewhat  indolent  Japanese,  who 
lounged,  smoked,  and  sipped  their  sake,  un- 
mindful of  the  mist. 

"  The  fog  is  spreading,"  said  the  youth 
Okido.  "  Shall  we  not  close  the  shoji  walls 
and  bring  andons  for  our  honored  guests  ?  " 

"  My  son  has  not  returned,"  said  the  gentle 
voice  of  the  father;  "yet  — "  He  glanced 
about  uneasily,  in  the  deepening  shadow, 
scarcely  able  to  distinguish  one  guest  from 
another.  He  arose,  and  shook  the  skirt  of 
his  hakaiiia.  In  a  moment  he  recalled  that, 
father  though  he  was,  yet  he  was  still  a  host. 
He  clapped  his  hands,  and  bade  the  answering 
servant  close  the  shoji  walls,  and  bring  lights. 

It  was  not  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
yet  the  gray  world  without  told  of  close 
creeping  night. 


A   FAMILY   COUNCIL 


239 


At  six  the  ladies  of  the  house  came  to  the 
upper  story.  Madame  Kamura  was  pale; 
her  daughter,  a  young  girl  of  seventeen, 
showed  a  somewhat  frightened  countenance, 
while  Ohano  alone  was  placid,  and  seemingly 
contented  of  mind. 

The     fog     grew     thicker    every    moment, 
Madame    Kamura   told    her    husband,  and  as 
she    feared   it   was    not   possible    their   guests 
could    leave   the    house    that    night,   she    had 
ordered  dinner  served,  and  would  prepare  the 
sleeping  chambers.      She  spoke    only  of  the 
comfort  of  her  guests.     Although  Junzo  had 
not   returned,   no  words    escaped   her   careful 
lips  of  that  which  wrenched  her  mother-heart. 
Her  husband  thanked  her  for  her  thought- 
fulness,  and  said  that  they  would  be  ready  for 
the  honorable  meal,  but   begged    her  not   to 
speak  of  rest.     They  would  keep  the  council 
until  the  midnight  hour. 

And  so  the  evening  meal  was  served.  The 
night  was  spent  in  quiet  sake  sipping,  and 
dreamy  introspection  by  the  guests,  while  the 
heart  of  the  genial  host  was  heavy. 


m  ^' 


'i' 


240 


DAUGH  FERS   OF   NIJO 


B' 


-•m 


In  a  chamber  of  the  lower  story  Ohano 
snored  in  healthy  forgetfulness  of  all  the 
little  ills  of  life.  The  maiden  Haru-no 
drowsed  by  the  shoji  of  the  Ozashiki ;  and 
by  her  side,  immovable  and  silent,  but  with 
wide,  wakeful  eyes,  the  mother  of  Kamura 
Junzo    kept   the    night  watch. 

"  It  is  the  fate  of  the  humble  female,"  she 
had  protested,  when  the  young  Haru-no  had 
begged  her  to  sleep.  "  Bear  this  precept, 
daughter,  always  in  your  mind :  The  mother, 
wife,  the  sister,  daughter,  must  ever  watch 
and  wait  upon  the  comfort  of  the  male.  It 
is  the  law ;  it  is  our  duty  ;  it  is  our  fate. 
We  bow  to  it  with  submissive  philoso- 
phy." 

At  twelve  there  was  a  stir  upon  the  upper 
floor.  Madame  Kamura  heard  the  shuffling 
movement  of  the  breaking  of  the  council 
By  the  drowsy  footfalls  she  knew  the  guests 
were  anxious  for  their  beds.  She  bade  a 
servant  attend  the  guests.  Then  she  returned 
to  her  station.  She  did  not  turn  her  head 
when    the   sound    of    footsteps    passed    along 


ti 


A   FAMILY  COUNCIL 


241 


the  hall.  Her  husband  quietly  took  his 
place  by  her  side,  without  speaking.  Thus 
all  night  long  these  two  kept  watch  for 
Junzo. 


\r 


^  '■ffi 


CHAPTER    XVII 


THE  NEW  MASAGO 


ii 


m 


''I, 


\:\ 


y/ 


m 


•  hi 


CHAPTER  XVII 


THE    NEW    MASAGO 


TKE  following  morning  dawned  clear 
and  bright,  not  a  remnant  of  mist  or 
fog  remaining  to  recall  the  previous 
night.  A  bright  yellow  sun  arose  from  behind 
the  hills  and  beat  away  every  vista  of  gloom 
from  the  skies.  It  poised  above  the  river 
Hayama,  as  though  to  look  upon  its  own  re- 
flected light ;  then  swept  along  its  early  course, 
flooding  the  land  with  new  light,  and  piercing 
the  shoji  walls  of  the  chamber  of  the  maid 
Masago. 

The  Princess  Sado-ko  opened  her  eyes, 
looked  half  dazedly,  half  wonderingly,  a  mo- 
ment at  the  unfamiliar  ceiling  overhead,  then  sat 
up  on  the  mattress.  Her  eyes  wandered  about 
the  room  in  a  helpless,  bewildered  fashion  for 
a    moment,  then   suddenly   a   little   flickering 

245 


if '^ 

ti ' 


1; 


246 


DAUGH  FERS  OK   NIJO 


!^  m 


smile  of  recollection  came.  She  slipped  from 
the  mosquito  netting. 

She  was  in  pale  blue  linen.  Below  her 
gown  her  little  bare  feet  twmkled  over  the 
matting  as  she  hastily  crossed  the  rooTi, 
pushed  the  casement  a  small  wav  open,  and 
peeped  without.  A  breath  of  aelight  escaped 
her,  for  from  Masago's  chamber  her  eyes 
looked  out  upon  the  old  dtsiefhrful  scenes  of 
her  childhood,  the  far-reachrrsg  meadows,  slop- 
ing hills,  and  Fuji-Yama  smiling  in  the  morn- 
ing light. 

For  some  time  she  remained  by  the  case- 
ment, enjoying  simply  the  morning  and  its 
gentle  breezes.  Almost  unconsciously  she 
found  herself  waiting  for  the  attendance  of  her 
maiden,  Natsu-no.  Then  recalling  Masago's 
words  that  henceforth  she  must  robe  herself, 
she  laughed. 

She  had  no  difficulty  in  dressing.  Masago's 
wardrobe  was  of  the  simplest,  Yamada  Kwacho 
limiting  her  in  dress  expenditure.  Sado-ko 
donned  a  pretty  plum-colored  crepe  kimono 
and  a  dark,  gold-figured  obi.     Her  hands  flut- 


THE   NEW    MASAGO 


■H7 


tcred  delightedly  over  Masago's  clothes ;  they 
were  so  simple  and  comfortable,  she  thought. 

When  she  was  quite  diessed,  she  forgot  to 
put  away  the  bed,  —  a  duty  Masago  always  per- 
formed,—  but  stepping  out  upon  the  balcony 
loitered  for  a  moment  in  the  sun.  Then  the 
garden's  fragrance  captivating  her,  she  ran 
down  the  little  flight  of  stairs  into  the  garden. 

Flowers  grew  abundantly  there, — simple  and 
common  flowers  they  were,  but  preferred  by 
Kwacho  because  of  their  very  lack  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  hence  their  naturalness. 

Almost  recklessly  Sado-ko  plucked  them, 
filling  her  arms  with  blossoms.  She  had  an 
inclination  to  sing  and  laugh  and  pick  flowers 
all  the  day,  she  felt  so  strangely  free  and 
happy. 

When  a  servant  came  and  watched  her  from 
the  kitchen  door,  the  girl  smiled  toward  her. 
The  woman  appeared  taken  aback  at  the  good 
will  in  the  girl's  face.  Masago  had  been  over- 
bearing toward  her  father's  servants,  which  had 
made  her  generally  unpopular  among  them. 
The  servant's  voice  was  not  so  sharp  as  she 


J,'l^ 


fl  »•-. 


248  DAUGF'i  ;         OF   NIJO 

had  intended  it  to  be.  Would  Masago  have 
her  morning  meal  ? 

The  young  girl  in  the  sunny  garden  nodded 
cheerfully,  then  hastened  toward  the  house, 
her  flowers  in  her  arms.  She  drank  her  morn- 
ing tea  in  happy  silence,  but  smiled  so  often  at 
the  waiting  maid,  that  the  latter  marvelled  at 
her  amiability  of  mood.  When  Sado-ko  had 
finished,  the  woman  said,  almost  in  a  deprecat- 
ing tone :  — 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  give  offence  last  night, 
Masago." 

"  Offence  ? "  repeated  Sado-ko.  "  Did  you 
give  offence  —  to  me  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes.  Do  you  not  recall  my  looking 
at  the  picture  in  your  hands  ? " 

"  What  picture  ?  Oh,  yes,  yes.  Did  you 
do  so  ?     Now  I  do  recall  it." 

She  moved  toward  the  door  to  cover  her 
confusion,  then  turned  her  head  backward, 
smiling  sweetly  at  the  servant. 

"  Do  not  worry,  maid.     I  am  not  offended." 

A  moment  the  woman  stared  at  her  in  be- 
wilderment. Then  she  said  with  some  hesitancy ; 


I    • 


^i 


THE   NEW   MASAGO 


249 


"  Before  you  went  to  Kyoto,  Masago,  I 
always  took  the  liberties  with  you,  which  since 
your  late  return  you  appeared  not  to  desire. 
I,  being  long  in  your  family  service,  as  you 
know,  was  hurt." 

Sado-ko  paused  in  the  doorway. 

"  When  —  when  did  I  return  ?  "  she  asked, 
in  a  curious  tone,  as  though  she  could  not 
recall  the  exact  date.  "  I  have  been  away  it 
seems  —  yes  —  I  have  been  away ;  but  when 
did  I  return  ?  " 

'^  Why,  only  two  days  since,"  declared  the 
maid,  in  astonishment. 

"  How  absent  is  my  little  mind,"  she 
laughed.  "  Two  days  ago.  Why,  yes,  of 
course  —  and  let  me  see,  I  have  been  gone  — " 
She  appeared  to  calculate  the  time. 

"  But  half  a  year,"  said  the  servant.  "  You 
were  to  have  stayed  one  year,  but  your  affi- 
anced, having  acquired  such  great  fame  at 
court,  your  father  wished  to  hasten  on  your 
honorable  marriage." 

"  Oh,"  said  the  girl,  and  then  repeated  in 
a  low,  happy  voice,    "  hasten  on  my  marriage." 


!l 


?i 


250 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


i*^^ 


She  turned  suddenly  toward  the  maid. 

"  Do  you  find  me  changed  ? "  she  asked. 

The  woman  regarded  her  dubiously. 

"Ye-es  —  no.  Last  night  I  thought  you 
more  than  usually  impatient,  Masago." 

"Ah  —  was  I  so?     I  did  not  mean  it." 

"  But  to-day  you  seem  more  kind  than  even 
as  a  child,  though  you  were  the  most  gentle, 
passive,  and  best  of  little  ones." 

"  And  so  I  am  just  now,"  said  Sado-ko, 
merrily.  "  I  am  not  changed  one  little  bit. 
Think  of  me,  if  you  please,  as  a  child." 

"  Perhaps  the  fault  was  mine  last  night," 
pursued  the  woman,  glad  to  prolong  the  con- 
versation with  Masago. 

"  Look !  "  exclaimed  the  girl,  pointing  to 
the  garden.     "  See,  some  little  children  !  " 

"  Your  brothers,  Masago.  Can  you  not 
see  ? " 

"Brothers  — mine!     Oh-h  !  " 

Dropping  her  flowers  on  the  veranda,  she 
ran  lightly  down  the  path,  as  though  to  meet 
the  little  boys.  Halfway  down  the  path  a 
sense  of  panic  seized  upon  the  princess.     She 


Mk 


m 


THE   NEW    MASAGO 


251 


paused   in    painful    hesitancy,  scarce    knowing 
which  way  to  turn. 

Would  not  these  little  brothers  of  Masago 
recognize  the  deception  ?  Could  the  likeness 
be  so  strong  as  to  deceive  Masago's  own 
family  ?  A  maid's  judgment  was  but  a  poor 
criterion. 

She  stood  quite  still,  waiting,  ^d  dreading 
their  approach.  Her  first  impulse  had  been 
to  run  in  loving  fashion  to  meet  the  little 
boys.  Her  sudd"::  Tear  of  these  individuals 
saved  her  from  doing  that  which  Masago 
never  had  done,  caress  or  fondle  her  small 
brothers. 

While  Sado-ko  possessed  an  innate  love 
of  nature  and  of  children,  these  things  but 
irritated  poor  Masago,  who  called  the  country 
dull,  the  town  enchanting,  children  wearisome, 
and  fashion  fascinating.  Though  each  feature 
of  the  faces  of  these  two  sisters  was  identically 
alike,  their  natures  vastly  differed.  Sado-ko 
was  all  her  mother  in  nature,  and  even  the 
cold  harshness  of  her  life  had  frozen  but  her 
exterior   self.       Masago  was    the   complement 


f 


I  f. 


252 


1 ' 


m ' 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


of  Prince  Nijo.  Her  previous  environment, 
association  with  Ohano,  and  possibly  a  little 
portion  of  the  latter's  nature  made  her  what 
she  was,  —  a  girl  of  weak  and  vain  ambi- 
tions. 

Now  the  princess  stood  hesitating,  fearfully, 
before  the  little  army  of  Masago's  brothers, 
five  in  all.  The  older  ones  spoke  her  name 
respectfully,  as  they  had  been  taught  to  do. 
The  sn.aller  ones  pulled  her  sleeves  and  obi 
mischievously,  as  though  they  sought  to  tease 
her :  but  when  she  laughed,  they  seemed 
abashed,  and  ran  to  hide  behind  a  tree  from 
whence  they  peered  at  her. 

The  maid  who  brought  them  from  the 
neighbor's  bade  the  girl  an  apathetic  good 
morning,  and  seemed  surprised  at  the  cor- 
diality of  the  other's  greeting. 

Sado-ko  breathed  with  some  relief  as  the 
children  disappeared  within  the  house.  Then 
for  the  first  time  she  sighed  wistfully. 

"  If  they  had  loved  Masago,"  she  said, 
•'surely  they  wouUl  miss  her.  But  no,  a 
stranger    steps    into    her    clothes,    takes    her 


^'^ir^ 


1  HE    NEW    MASAGO 


253 


place  within  the   house,  and   fickle  childhood 
cannot  see." 

In  gentle  depression  she  moved  toward 
the  house,  then  slowly  up  the  steps  to 
Masago's  balcony,  from  which  she  watched 
the  children  take  their  morning  bath  in  the 
family  pond.  It  was  a  pretty  sight,  she 
thought,  to  see  their  little  bare,  brown  bodies 
shining  in  the  sun.  A  little  later  the  elder 
children  went  whistling  down  the  path  to 
school  while  the  nurse  disappeared  with  the 
younger  ones. 

"  Strange,"  said  Princess  Sado-ko,  "  that 
none  of  them  seemed  glad  to  see  their  sister. 
Was  not  Masago  loved,  then  ? " 

She  pushed  the  doors  open  and  thought- 
fully entered  the  chamber. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  said,  "  the  foreigners  speak 
truth.  What  is  that  pretty  proverb  of  their 
honorable  religion  ?  Is  it  not,  '  The  love 
begets  the  love '  ?  Masago  plainly  did  not 
love  her  little  brothers.  Hence  they  have 
but  indifference  for  her." 
Again  she  sighed. 


.!  i 


'U 


p 


m 


s 


u 


!    ' 


\m 


:mk 


iiii 


w 


p  [ 


254 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"Ah,"  she  said,  "what  kind  of  maiden, 
then,  is  this  I  have  exchanged  for  me  ? " 

She  saw  the  tumbled  couch  upon  which 
she  had  slept.  She  recalled  the  fact  that 
Masago  had  told  her  she  would  be  required 
to  make  her  own  bed  and  attend  her  own 
chamber,  for  Kwacho  deemed  such  household 
tasks  desirable  and  admirable  in  a  woman. 

Therefore  the  exalted  Princess  Sado-ko, 
the  daughter  of  the  sun-god,  as  she  was 
called  by  all  loyal  Japanese,  fell  to  work 
upon  the  homely  employment  of  rolling  up 
a  mattress  bed,  beating  the  little  rocking 
pillow,  folding  the  quilts  and  the  netting. 
Suddenly  she  sat  down  breathlessly  among 
the  simple  paraphernalia  which  constituted 
Masago's  bed.  She  had  forgotten  where  the 
maid  Masago  had  told  her  the  clothes  were 
kept!  The  little  thought  perplexed  and 
troubled  the  Princess  Sado-ko. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


A  MOTHER  BLIND 


;i 


ri^ 


<-•>? 


''I 


■I  « 

I 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


A    MOTHER    BLIND 


WHILE    the    Princess    Sado-ko  was 
sitting  ruefully   among   the   folded 
bed    things,  and    pondering   upon 
the  weighty  question  of  their  disposal,  Kwacho 
and  Ohano  arrived  home  in  jinrikishas.     The 
former  hastened  to  the  kitchen  for  a  cup  of 
tea  before  departing  on  a  mission  to  Tokyo, 
while   Ohano   hurried   up    the   stairs    to    her 
daughter.     Ohano  was  so  eager  to  pour  out 
recent  confidences  to  her  daughter,  that   she 
labored  at  every  step  in  her  ascent. 

When  she  entered  Masago's  room  without 
knocking,  as  was  her  custom,  she  was  aston- 
ished at  the  sudden  start  the  girl  gave.  How- 
ever, Ohano  had  such  a  story  to  pour  out  that 
she  did  not  pause,  but  said  in  almost  one 
breath  :  — 

K  as? 


1 


i 


i  fl 


ill 


i 


H 


t  I 


i"  rl 


WW 


258  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

"  Masago,  1  have  the  greatest  news  for  you 
—  it  will  make  you  the  happiest  of  maidens  in 
Kamakura —  What!  your  bedclothes  not  ut 
away  yet  ?  Well  —  but  I  must  tell  you  all 
that  happened,  at  once." 

She  broke  off  breathlessly,  her  eyes  upon 
the  young  girl's  face.  Something  unfamiliar 
and  strange  about  it  stopped  her  flying  tongue. 
She  stared  at  her  in  stupefied  perplexity,  her 
mouth  wide  open. 

Sado-ko  averted  her  face.  With  her  head 
slightly  turned,  she  stood  in  a  listening  atti- 
tude, as  though  waiting  for  Ohano  to  proceed. 

"  How  strangely  you  looked  at  me  just 
now!"  gasped  Ohano,  and,  leaning  over, 
pulled  her  sleeve.  "  Masago !  You  have  not 
spoken  to  me  yet !  " 

"  I  have  not  had  the  chance,"  said  Sado-ko, 
in  a  stifled  voice. 

"  Why  —  your  voice  is  strange  !  What  has 
happened,  daughter  ? " 

Sado-ko  attempted  to  recover  her  compos- 
ure, fighting  against  a  sense  of  weakness  that 
overpowered    her  at    the  thought  that  Ohano 


A   MOTHER   BLIND 


259 


would  penetrate  the  disguise.  What  mother 
would  not  have  done  so?  she  thought  with 
fear.      With   some    bravado   she    turned   and 

faced  Ohano. 

"Nothing    is    the    matter,"    she    declared. 

"  You you  said  you  had  some  news  to  tell 

me,  mot  cr."  She  bit  her  lip  at  the  last  word, 
as  the  thought  came  to  her  that  this  woman 
might  not  be  the  mother.  The  words  of 
Ohano  reassured  her. 

"Well,  come  and  sit  here,"  she  said.     "I 
have  much  to  tell." 

When  Sado-ko  was  seated  at  her  side  with 
averted  face,  the  words  of  the  mother  became 

piteous. 

"Your  mother  always  was  so  stupid,"  said 
poor  Ohano,  "but,  Masago,  you  really  are 
much  changed  since  your  return  irom  school. 
Yet  truly  —  why,  I  never  noticed  it  before.' 
She  stopped  as  though  to  give  the  girl  a  chance 
to  speak,  but  the  latter  remained  silent. 

"  Now  let  me  see,"  said  Ohano,  "  I  will  tell 
you  from  the  first  of  all  that  happened.  I 
know,  Masago,  you  will  be  happy  at  my  news. 


I 


*i    'I 


1  I 


i6o 


DAUGHTERS   OF    NIJO 


You  see,  we  waited  all  the  day  and  all  the  night 
for  him  to  come  and  —  " 

"  For  htm  ?  "  said  Sado-Ico,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Yes  — for  Junzo." 

"  Junzo  !  "  She  turned  toward  Ohano  with 
a  sudden  swiftness.  Her  eyes  were  dilated 
with  trembling  excitement,  "  Yes,  yes  —  prav 
speak  on." 

Pausing,  Ohano  looked  in  astonishment  at 
the  girl's  flushing  face. 

"  Ah,  now  I  know  why  you  seem  changed, 
Masago,"  she  said  finally.  "  It  was  thinking 
all  night  long  upon  your  wedding.  Well,  who 
could  blame  a  maiden  for  feeling  and  for  act- 
ing somewhat  —  changed  ?  " 

"  But  tell  me,"  said  the  girl,  pleadingly,  "  of 
—  of  Junzo.     Why  do  you  not  proceed  ?  " 

"  Well,  we  waited  for  him  ail  the  day, 
Masago,  and  all  the  —  " 

"  You  have  already  said  that.     Do  proceed." 

"  He  did  not  come." 

"  Not  come  !     Why,  where  —  " 

*•  You   hardly  give  me  breath  to  speak  to 
day,   Masago.     Do  not  hasten   my  words  so. 


A    MOTHER    BLIND 


a6i 


1  told  you  that  I  had  good  news  for  you.     Be 
patient,  as  a  maiden  should  be,  and  hear  my 

story." 

"  Yes,  yes,  yes." 

"  Well,  vour  affianced  did  not  come.  Is 
not  that  welcome  news  for  you  ? " 

Sado-ko  smote  her  hands  together.  She 
had  become  white,  and  her  lips  were  quivering. 

"  Why  did  he  not  come  ? " 

Ohano  shrugged  her  plump  shoulders. 

"The  gods  alone  kno>v  why,  Masago.  It 
seems  he  went  out  early  in  the  day  before  the 
fog  arose,  and—  Why,  how  you  startle  me 
to-day!" 

With  a  half-stifled  cry  the  princess  sprang 
to  her  feet,  and  stood  before  Ohano  trembling 
in  agitation. 

"  You  do  not  mean  that  he  has  met  with 
harm  ? "  she  cried  in  a  horrified  tone.  "  Oh, 
you  sit  there  smiling  when  my  heart  is  burst- 
ing with  its  fear.  Why  do  you  not  explain — " 
Her  breath  came  in  gasps.  She  could 
scarcely  enunciate  her  words.  Ohano  stared 
up  at  her  aghast. 


I' 


I 


a6a 


DAUGHFERS   OK   NIJO 


I'l-i 


"  Shaka,  Masago !  You  are  beside  yourself 
with  most  incomprehensibie  agitation." 

With  an  eloquent,  piteous  gesture  the  girl 
threw  out  her  hands. 

"  Oh,  will  you  not  tell  me  what  has  hap- 
pened to  him  ?  "  she  cried. 

"  Happened  to  whom  ?     You  do  not  mean 

to  Junzo  ? " 

Sado-ko  nodded    her  head  and  clasped  her 

hands. 

"  Who  else  could  I  mean  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Well,  nothing  that  we  know  has  happened 
to  the  man,"  said  Ohano.  "  He  simply  would 
not  come  to  his  own  marriage  council.  The 
reason  is  most  plain,  I  think." 

"  But  the  fog  —  you  spoke  of  it  —  "  The 
girl  was  now  upon  the  verge  of  tears. 

"  The  fog  was  good  excuse  for  his  absence, 
Masago.  Yet  no  one  of  the  guests  believed 
it  was  the  reason  he  did  not  come ;  and  when 
this  morning  brought  a  guard  from  Aoyama, 
why,  even  the  most  stupid  of  us  all  —  your 
simple  mother — knew  the  cause  of  your  fiance's 
absence,  and  why  he  went  to  Tokyo." 


A   MOTHER   BLIND 


263 


'.  iie  girl  repeated  the  words  dazedly.     "  To 

yo! 

'« So  the  guard  declared.  He  said  that  Junzo 
followed  the  norimon  of  the  Princess  Sado-ko 
down  to  the  railway  station  —  then  —  " 

Ohano  paused  at  the  odd  exclamation  which 

escaped  the  girl. 

"  Sado  ko  !  "  she  said  in  a  soft  voice,  then 
began  to  laugh  in  a  strange  fashion. 

«  Do  not  mind  my  silly  laughter.  I  — - 1 
am  not  well  to-day.     Continue,  if  you  please. 

Do  not  stop." 

Ohano    looked    concerned,   but    continued 

obediently. 

"The  guard  Informed  us  that  when  they 
reached  the  station  Junzo,  acting  like  one 
crazed,  sought  passage  on  the  royal  train. 
This  being  denied  him,  he  followed  on  the 
next,  while  his  parents  and  relations,  and 
good  Kwacho  and  myself,  were  waiting  for 
his  coming  at  his  father's  house.  There  is 
only  one  solution." 

rhe   girl    was    laughing    softly,   yet    in    a 
strangely  tearful  way.     She  said:  — 


f 


»t 


ri^.^ 


h» 


264 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"  He  followed  Sado-ko  !  " 
"Just  so,  Masago.  She  is  his  patroness, 
and  I  have  heard —  But  never  mind,  you 
look  so  pale  this  morning  1  will  not  gossip  of 
that  other  matter.  His  parents  say  the  honor 
paid  him  at  the  court  has  turned  his  head, 
but  I  am  of  another  thought."  She  shook 
her  head  knowingly.  "  Ic  is  my  firui  belief, 
Masago,  despite  the  smooth  words  of  his 
family  and  the  rough  ones  of  your  father, 
that  Junzo  went  awr.y  because  he  dreaded 
thought  of  wedding  you.  He  has  another 
fancy." 

Sado-ko  smiled  through  her  tears. 
"  It   is  true,"  she   said,  "  I    do   not   doubt 
it.       He    dreaded     thought    of    union    with 
Masago." 

"Just  as  you,  Masago,"  said  Ohano,  bri- 
dling, "  dreaded  the  thought  of  marrying  him. 
You  were  ill  suited  to  each  other.  The  gods 
know   best." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  princess,  softly,  "  the  gods 
know  best." 

She     looked    out    through    the    casement 


A   MOTHER   BLIND 


265 


toward  the  hills  of  Aoyama.     As  though  she 
spoke  to  herself,  she  said:  — 

"  He  will   return.       He    will    understand." 
Then,  in  a  lower  voice,  "  He  loves  me." 

Ohano,  engaged    in    putting  away  the  bed 
ding,  had  not  heard  the  latter  words.     As  she 
set  them,  neatly  folded,  in   a  little  cupboard, 
she  said  in  tones  of  conviction :  — 

"Do  not  worry,  daughter.  He  will  not 
return.  The  gods  have  given  you  the 
freedom    that    you    wished    so     much.       Be 

thankful  —  " 

Sado-ko  did  not  hear  her  words.  She 
went  to  the  balcony,  and  looked  with  wistful 
eyes  toward  her  former  castie  home. 

"  He  will  return,"  she  whispered  to  her 
questioning   heart,  "  I    am   not  stranded  here 

alone. 

A  thrill  of  apprehension  smote  her.  Had 
the  change  she  had  effected  with  Masago 
been  in  vain  ?  Would  Junzo  follow  the  new 
Sado-ko  ?  Could  it  be  that  his  eyes  were  no 
keener  than  those  of  Masago's  relatives? 

All   about   her  the  yellow  sunlight  smiled. 


266 


DAUGHTERS   OF    NIJO 


The  hills  were  warm.  The  skies  were  blue. 
The  air  was  still  and  sweet.  Peace  and 
silence  were  everywhere  in    Kamakura. 

"The  gods  are  good,"  said  Sado-ko,  with 
divine  faith ;  "  he  must  return  to  me," 


CHAPTER    XIX 


WITHIN  THE   PALACE  NIJO 


li)  . 


\  m^ 


CHAPTER  XIX 


WITHIN    THE    PALACE    NIJO 

THE  palace  Nijo,  the  resort  of  West- 
desiring  nobility  and  court,  was  pos- 
sibly  the   oddest  if  most  expensive 
residence   in  Tokyo.     Originally  it  had  been 
a  Yashiki  of  the  Daimio  of  Mito.     Time  and 
the   impulsive   treatment   of   the    Imperialists 
had  demolished  portions  of  the  place.     With 
each   persistent   rebuilding,  strangely  enough, 
the  palace  took  on   a   more   modern,  foreign 
aspect,  until  this  time,  when,  in  spite   of  its 
ancient  moat,  quite   dry  and  overgrown  with 
trees,  its  lodges,  and  its  few  melancholy  turrets, 
it  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  those  houses 
built  upon   the   bluffs   of  Yokohama  by  the 
foreign  residents. 

The  Nijo  palace  in  itself  was  a  monument 
to    the    country's    change.       Bit    by    bit    its 

369 


^i 


i 


1-JO 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


ancient  Eastern  aspect  w.is  disappearing,  so 
that  now,  except  for  the  rambling  character 
of  portions  of  its  yashiki-like  walls,  and  its 
enormous  si/e,  it  was  as  Western  in  outward 
looks  as  the  Japanese  modern  himself  appeared 
when  clad  in  Western  dress. 

Even  its  grounds  were  typical  of  the  new 
era,  for  close-clipped  lawns  replaced  the 
gardens,  groves,  shrines,  fish-ponds,  hillocks, 
and  artificial  landscapes,  once  the  rule  within 
the  walls  of  this  yashiki. 

No  longer  at  the  palace  gates  the  lordly, 
haughty  man  of  swords  scowled  upon  the 
passer-by.  The  days  of  the  samurai  and 
ancient  chivalry  were  dead,  —  since  but  a 
score  of  years.  So  rapid  was  the  sweeping 
"  progress "  of  the  new  Japan !  Now  stiflf 
guards,  in  heavy  foreign  uniform.,  patrolled 
the  grounds;  while  within  the  house  itself 
the  very  servants  wore  the  buttoned  livery 
of  the  West.  Fashion  shook  her  foolish 
hand  over  the  city  of  Tokyo,  and  her  sub- 
jects, adoring  and  submissive  as  ever,  named 
her  guilelessly,  "  Progression." 


WIIHIN   THE    PALACE  NIJO       27* 

Within  the  palace  Nijo  all  wore  the  garb 
of  Europe,  —  the  thick,  sticking,  heavy  cloth 
of  man,  and  the  tight,  suffocating  dress  of 
woman.  The  gentleman  of  fashion  and 
means,  at  this  time,  possessed  two  residences, 
a  town  and  country  place,  —  sometimes  several 

of  the  latter. 

In  Tokyo  foreign  life  and  foreign  dress 
ruled  supreme  at  court,  save,  possibly,  within 
the  secret  privacy  of  chambers,  when  heated 
men  and  panting  women  flung  aside  their 
Western  garb,  and,  sighing  breaths  of  eased 
relief,  slipped  on  the  soft  and  cool  hakama 
or  kimono. 

Junzo,  the  artist  of  Kamakura,  had  no 
difliculty  in  gaining  ingress  to  the  palace,  for 
the  guards,  some  of  them  late  from  Komatzu, 
recognized  him,  and  thought  him  possibly 
still  a  member  of  the  household.  It  was 
late  afternoon  when  he  walked  with  down-bent 
head  along  the  broad  and  gravelled  pathway 
which  led  to   the   green    lawn    of  the    palace 

Nijo. 

It  was  two   months   since   Junzo   had   left 


iti 


,( 


•:  111 


"i   u 


27a  DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 

his  home  in  Kamakura,  and,  following  the 
cortege  of  Princess  Sado-ko,  had  come  to 
Tokyo.  There,  during  this  time,  he  had 
wandered  aimlessly  about  the  city,  trying  to 
conquer  the  mad  longing  within  him  to  see 
once  again  this  princess.  But  his  passion 
was  stronger  than  himself,  and  now  it  had 
mastered  him. 

A  servant,  clad  in  modern  livery,  smiled 
behind  hU  hand  as  the  artist  slipped  his 
shoes  off  at  the  door;  but  Junzo,  usually  so 
quick  to  take  offence  at  insolence,  did  not 
notice  this  new  disdain  of  an  old  and  honor- 
able habit.  He  handed  a  letter  and  his  card 
to  the  attendant,  who,  becoming  more  respect- 
ful, bowed  his  head  to  the  level  of  Junzo's 
knees  and  ushered  him  with  ceremony  into  a 
reception  room. 

The  artist  did  not  see  the  odd  furnishing  of 
the  room,  the  plush  upholstered  chairs,  the 
cabinets,  the  pictures  in  heavy  gilt  frames 
nailed  to  the  light  frame  of  shoji  walls.  His 
head  bowed,  his  hands  clasped  behind  him, 
Junzo  walked   up   and   down  the  apartment. 


WITHIN   THE   PALACE   NIJO       273 

vvhile  through  his  soul  coursed  the  longing  of 

his  letter. 

"  Sado-ko !     I  will  not  call  you  princess,  for 
this  you  have  commanded  me  I  must  not  do. 
I  will  call  you  Sado-ko  —  sweet  Sado-ko!     I 
come  a  mendicant  to  your  august  father's  house, 
hungering  for  the  sight  of  your  dear  face.     I 
tamish  for  the  touch  of  your  beloved  hands, 
and  cannot  live  for    longing   for    your   voice. 
And   so,  in   beggar-wise,  I    come,  beseeching 
you  to  see  me  for  the  space  of  one  short  hour 
again,  to  speak  to  me,  to  let  me  touch  the  hem 
of  your  kimono.     Or  if  I  ask  too  much,  my 
Sado-ko,  then  let  me  once  but  look  upon  your 
face  again,  even  though  I  may  not  speak  to  you, 
nor  hear  your  voice.     That  night  when,  in  the 
bamboo  grove,  we  kept  the  tryst,  I  watched 
you  pass   from   out   my  life  with   one  whose 
name  I  cannot  tven  write.     The  blackness  of 
my  fate  closed  down  upon  me  then,  blinding 
me  to  all  light  of  earth  or  sky.     For  days,  for 
nights,  I  wandered  about  the  streets  of  Tokyo. 
1  could  not  eat,  nor  sleep,  nor  think.     I  barely 
lived.     My  brain  was  scorched  with  but  one 


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274  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

name  —  my  Sado-ko,  my  lotos  maiden,  my  god- 
dess of  the  sun!    My  father  sent  to  seek  me  in 
the  capital.     But  I  was  waiting  there  for  you. 
Then  rumor  somehow  pierced  the  gloom  of 
my  dark  mind.     It  was  said  that  you  had  gone 
to  Kamakura,  and  would  not  come  to  Tokyo. 
It  was  my  own  dear  home  as  well,  and  there 
I    hastened,   Sado-ko.      They   thought  —  my 
parents  —  that  I  came  home  at  their  solicita- 
tion.    But   no !     I  wandered   by  your  palace 
walls.     My  fevered  mind  dreamed  only  of  the 
time  when  chance  might  give  me  passing  sight 
of  you.     Then  one  black  night  I  heard  you 
journeying  from  out  the  gate.     I  touched  your 
norimono,  and  in  the  night  I  cried  your  name 
aloud;    but,  oh,  alas!    though  I  would   have 
heard  a  whisper  from  your  lips,  you  did  not 
answer  me  —  you  made  no  sign,  O  Princess ! 
Since  then,  in  bitterness  of  spirit,  I  have  lin- 
gered  here   in  Tokyo,  sometimes  with  harsh 
thoughts  upon  our  love,  but  longing  all  the 
time  for  sight  of  you  —  for  one  small  glimpse  ! 
•  As  beat  the  restless  waves  on  Biwa's  strand,' 
so  does  my  heart  break  for  Sado-ko ! " 


WITHIN   THE   PALACE   NIJO       275 

A  maid  of  honor,  holding  her  long  silken 
train  across  her  arm,  came  down  the  wide  stair- 
way (a  modern  Importation)  of  the  Nijo  palace, 
trailed  her  noisy  skirt  of  taffeta  across  the  hall, 
and  paused  within  the  doorway  of  the  recep- 
tion room. 

She  stood  a  moment  without  speaking,  star- 
ing with  baleful  eyes  at  the  bent  head  of  the 
artist.  Then  she  spoke  softly,  and  with  clear- 
ness. 

«  Good  day.  Sir  Artist.  It  is  an  unexpected 
pleasure  to  see  once  more  your  august  counte- 
nance." 

Junzo  turned  his  melancholy  eyes  upon  her 
mocking  face.  Painfully  he  bowed,  feeling  in 
small    mood    to    perform    the    courtesies    of 

life. 

"You  are  in  excellent  health,  I  trust?"  she 

asked. 

He  bowed  in  answer.     She  smiled,  and  went 

a  step  nearer  to  him. 

« I  also  hope  you  are  still  painting  pictures 

just  so  fine  as — " 

She  laughed  derisively,  and  slowly,  languidly 


u 


276 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


unfurled  her  fan,  a  monstrous  pinky  thing  of 
ostrich  feathers. 

A  slow,  dull  flush  grew  upward  in  the  face 
of  Junzo.  He  did  not  deign  to  answer  the 
taunting  of  the  Lady  Fuji-no. 

"  How  is  it,  may  I  ask,"  she  continued, 
"  that  you  so  cruelly  deserted  us  upon  our 
journey  to  the  capital  ?  It  was  declared  about 
the  court  that  you  had  been  engaged  by  Prince 
Komatzu  to  execute  a  speaking  likeness  — 
such  as  was  the  one  of  Princess  Sado-ko  —  of 
all  the  ladies  of  our  court." 

"  Lady,"  said  Junzo,  with  a  certain  scorn 
within  his  voice,  which  caused  his  tormentor 
to  blush  with  angry  shame,  "  I  am  not  here  to 
visit  you.  You  do  me  honor  m  your  unsought 
speech  with  me.  Yet,  I  pray  you,  do  not 
waste  your  wise  and  witty  words  upon  a  simple 
artist." 

"  Your  words  are  rough.  Sir  Artist,"  she  re- 
plied, her  small  eyes  flashing,  "  yet  though  you 
state  you  did  not  come  to  visit  me,  you  are 
perhaps  mistaken.  I  am  a  maid  of  honor  to 
her   Highness   Princess    Sado-ko,  and  in  my 


WITHIN   THE   PALACE   NIJO       277 


keeping  she  has  condescended   to  intrust  an 
answer  to  your  letter." 

He  stared  at  her  in  shocked  amazement. 
"  Through  you  !  "  he  cried.     "  The  Princess 
Sado-ko  sent  word  by  you  ? " 

"  Just  so,"  she  answered  haughtily ;  "  and  so 
I  trust  you  will  guard  your  tongue  in  your 
words  to  one  who  is  the  august  messenger  af 
Princess  Sado-ko." 

"Give  me  her  letter  then,"  the  artist  said 
in  a  husky  voice. 
She  laughed  lightly. 

"  It  is  within  my  head,  not  hands.  Sir  Artist. 
The  princess  hade  me  state  that  she  will  con- 
descend to  grant  your  wish  this  evening. 
There  will  be  a  special  ball  within  the  palace, 
for  his  Majesty  has  sent  his  son,  the  young 
Crown  Prince,  but  lately  come  of  age,  as  guest 
to  Nijo.  The  Princess  Sado-ko  bade  me  state 
you  are  invited." 

She  paused,  watching  with  narrowed  eyes  the 
paling  face  of  Junzo. 

«  For  my  part,"  she  said,  "  I  do  not  know 
the  tenor  of  your  letter,  nor  the  request  you 


12  li 


278 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


f.n 


r, 


dared  to  make  of  her  Highness;  but  this  I 
know,  Sir  Artist :  to-night,  if  you  accept  this 
invitation,  though  you  look  at  her  with  the 
keen  eyes  of  love,  you  scarce  will  recognize 
your  Princess  Sado-ko." 
"  She  is  so  changed  ?  " 

«  So  changed  ?  Well,  no  and  yes.  Changed 
not  in  looks,  artist,  for  beauty  such  as  hers 
fades  only  with  old  age,  but  changed  in  ways, 
in  action,  speech,  in  very  thought.  You 
sighed,  Sir  Artist." 

«  You  have  keen  ears,"  he  said  bitterly. 
"  Perhaps,"  she  said,  "  your  sighs  will  be 
much  louder,  artist,  after  you  have  seen  her 
Highness.  You  will  note  the  folly  of  illusions. 
You  will  not  trace  the  change  in  Sado-ko  to 
yourself,  but  to  a  master  hand  more  royal." 

"  Lady,  your  words  are  veiled.  I  do  not 
understand  them." 

"You  will  to-night.  Had  I  more  pity  in 
my  nature  than  the  gods  have  given  me,  I 
could  almost  counsel  just  now:  Stay  in  that 
dull  world  to  which  you  rightfully  belong  and 
trust  not  all  the  words  of  Sado-ko.     Nay,  do 


VVIIHIN   THE   PALACE   NIJO       279 


not  scowl.  Your  ancestors,  I  learn,  were 
samurai.  To-day  you  are  a  citizen  —  an  artist- 
man.  I  am  a  lady  of  the  court,  cynical  and 
little  apt  to  trust  my  kind.  Yet,  artist,  I 
think  you  will  recall  the  words  of  Fuji  when 
you  are  able  to  see  with  your  own  eyes  the 
actions  of  her  Highness  with  her  new  lover, 
the  noble  Prince  Komatzu." 

He  spoke  with  sneering,  cutting  scorn : — 

"  Lady,  your  ambition  ever  trips  before  you. 
It  is  said  you  would  gladly  bring  about  the 
marriage  of  some  noble  persons  for  your  own 
small  ends.  That  union,  I  doubt  not,  will  soon 
be  consummated."  He  paled  perceptibly  even 
while  he  spoke  the  words,  but  continued  with 
defiant  bravery:  "Yet  do  not  waste  your 
efforts  in  defaming  to  a  poor  artist  one  he 
trusts  completely." 

She  brought  her  beaded  slipper  sharply 
down  upon  the  floor. 

"  You  speak  the  truth.  Sir  Artist.  I  would 
encompass  such  a  union,  and  the  gods  favor 
my  ambition.  The  Princess  Sado-ko  is  kind 
to  her  affianced  lord." 


« u 


■III 


i8o 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"  They  are  not  publicly  betrothed,"  he  said 

gloomily. 

"Not  yet,  but  the  very  coming  of  the 
Crown  Prince  indicates  that  the  time  is  near. 
I  will  confess  another  weakness,  artist.  I  do 
dislike  your  presence,  and  I  fear  it.  If  eyes 
and  even  ears  are  not  deceived,  the  Princess 
Sado-ko  loves  her  cousin  Prince  Komatzu." 

He  made  a  gesture  of  denial,  but  she  con- 
tinued steadily:  — 

"Yet  by  your  coming  I  fear  that  older, 
wilder  claims  may  reawake  within  the  heart 
of  the  capricious  princess." 

"  Her  heart  is  steady  as  the  sun,"  he  said. 
"  She  is  all  nobleness  and  truth." 

"You  doubt  that  she  has  wavered  toward 
her  cousin  ? " 

"  I  do  not  even  think  of  it." 

"Sol  You  think  the  sex  so  true.  Well, 
trust  your  ey«8  to-night.  Sir  Junzo!" 


CHAPTER  XX 


AN  EVIL  OMEN 


m 


CHAPTER  XX 


AN    EVIL    OMEN 


« 


A' 


RTIST,  you  cannot  enter  the  hall ! " 
said  the  Duchess  Aoi,  pulling  the 
sleeve  of  Junzo's  hakama. 
"I  am  a  guest,"  he  said  briefly. 
"  But    you    transgress    the   most   stringent 
rules  of  the  court.      His  Majesty  commands 
that  no  one,  save  in  evening  dress,  shall  appear. 
The   Crown    Prince   is   the  guest    of   honor 
to-night." 

Junzo  looked  with  doubtful  eyes  at  his 
dress,  then  stared  at  the  black-coated,  white- 
breasted  garb  of  those  within  the  room. 

"It  is  the  Prince  of  Nijo's  palace;  I  am 
well  aware  that  customs  are  changed  here," 
he  said. 

"  You  think  the  Princess  Sado-ko  still  sets 
the  fashions  at  defiance.  Oh,  artist,  she  is  a 
most  abject  devotee." 

283 


ru 


284  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

'*  I  do  not  understand." 
"Artist,   for   your   own  sake,  do  not  look 
upon  this  new  Sado-ko.     Wait  till  the  night 
is  past,  and  see  her  in  the  morning.     She  will 
be  then  the  princess  you  have  known." 

Both  Jun/o  and  the  duchess  started   at  a 
familiar  sound  of  low,  mocking  laughter. 
"What,  dear   Duchess  Aoi,   you   deign  to 

touch to  hold  the  sleeve  of  the  honorable 

artist ! "  exclaimed  the  Lady  Fuji-no. 
Aoi's  brown  eyes  flashed  angrily. 
"  It  was  an  honorable  accident,"  she  said 
haughtily.  "  I  sought  to  save  the  artist  from 
an  error  which  would  prove  most  humiliating 
to  him.  He  is  a  stranger  and  does  not  know 
the  rules  as  yet;  but  simply  cast  your  eyes 
upon  his  dress,  my  lady,  and  you  will  see  why 
I  restrained  him." 

Fuji  smiled  in  a  superior,  veiled  way. 
«  Artist,"  she  said,  "  Aoi  is  always  thought- 
ful. She  speaks  the  truth  to-night.  Pray 
heed  her.  If  you  step  within  the  august  hall, 
and  even  gaze  at  a  great  distance  upon  her 
Highness,  you  will  lose  your  honorable  head." 


AN   EVIL   OMEN 


a85 


Junzo  walked  away  from  them  and  went 
upon  the  veranda  of  the  palace.  But  Lady 
Fuji  followed  him.  She  pointed  toward  the 
long  glass  windows  of  the  ball-room. 

"Artist,  the  Duchess  Aoi  would  prevent 
your  seeing  Sado-ko  in  her  new  garb.  She 
clings  to  the  despairing  fancy  that  when  her 
Highness  sees  you  again,  her  feelings  and  also 
her  dress  will  undergo  a  change,  and  that  the  old 
Sado-ko  will  once  again  bewitch  the  artist,  and 
perchance  save  Komatzu  for  the  Duchess  Aoi." 
"The  duchess  would  prevent  the  mar- 
riage ?  "  asked  the  artist,  quietly. 

"  She  is  fairly  mad  to  do  so,  artist,  while  I 
am  equally  determined  to  have  it  so.  Now 
to  which  of  us  do  you  choose  to  lend  your- 
self as  a  weapon  ?  " 

"  Lady,"  said  Junzo,  gravely,  "  there  is  a 
Western  proverb :  *  Between  two  evils,  choose 
the  lesser.'  Tell  me,  which  of  you  is  the 
lesser  evil  ? " 

She  shrugged  her  thin,  bared  shoulders. 
"  Frankly,  I  confess  of  the  two  evils,  Aoi  or 
Fuji,  I  do  not  know  which  is  the  worse." 


286  DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 

Junzo  frowned  gloomily  through  the  win- 
dows into  the  brightly  lighted  room,  now 
quickly  filling.  A  trumpet  blast,  full  and 
clear,  resounded  somewhere  in  the  palace. 
"  Who  enters  now  ? "  asked  Junzo. 
"The  noble  Prince  Komatzu.  Note  the 
change  upon  his  face,  artist.  Love  prints  her 
fingers  on  one's  countenance  as  clearly  as 
can  be." 

"  And  who  comes  now  ?  " 
"  Put  close  your  face  against  the  barbarian 
pane.     You  see  quite  plainly  ? " 
"  Quite  so." 

«  Well,  look  your  full,  Sir  Artist.     It  is  the 
Princess  Sado-ko  who  comes." 

He  saw  a  glittering,  spangled  gown,  low  of 
neck  and  long  of  train.  So  long,  indeed,  it 
was  that  she  who  wore  it  tripped  within  it,  and 
often  lifted  it  in  awkward  style.  Little  high- 
heeled  French  slippers  were  upon  the  feet. 
The  artist's  eyes  turned  from  surveying  her 
strange,  gorgeous  gown,  to  her  face,  and  there 
for  a  long,  horror-stricken  moment  they  re- 
mained. 


AN  EVIL  OMEN 


287 


Her  face  was  creamy  tinted,  the  eyes  long, 
the  brows  finely  pencilled.     Her  tiny  lips  were 
tipped  with  rouge,  while  her  rich,  shining  hair 
was  crumpled  in  a  strange  and  massed  coiffure. 
Wisps     of    hair,    not    straight   or   silky,    but 
crinkled   and   curled  like  the  hair  of  the  un- 
intellectual   races,    strayed  about  the  face  and 
sometimes  fell  upon  her  eyes.     Her  head  was 
held  straightly  and  proudly,  and  she  did  not 
deign  to  look  about  her.     Her  long,  bare  neck 
was   weighted    down   with    pearls   and   other 
flashing  gems.     Long,  sleek,  black  gloves  shut 
out  the  beauty  of  her  arms. 

With  eyes  distended,  Junzo  gazed  upon 
her,  like  one  fascinated  with  some  strange, 
gliding  serpent.  He  did  not  hear  the  loud 
fanfare  of  trumpets  signalling  the  entrance  of 
the  young  Crown  Prince,  nor  note  the  sudden 
reverent  silence  within,  the  ceasing  of  the  stir 
of  fans,  the  silencing  of  voice  and  movement. 
Through  his  bewildered  mind  he  thought  he 
heard  the  mocking  laughter  of  the  Lady 
Fuji-no.  Then  suddenly  the  band  crashed 
out,  and  the  imperial  ball  had  opened. 


-I 


288 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


4 


Slowly  the  artist  turned,  and  in  the  light 
streaming  from  the  window  he  gazed  at  the 
soft,  smiling  face  of  Fuji. 

"  It  was  a  dream,"  he  said,  passing  his  hand 
across  his  brow. 

« Awake,  Sir  Artist  I "  said  the  lady,  "  I 
trust  you  are  already  disillusioned." 

He  walked  awhile  up  and  down  the  ver- 
anda, then  returned  to  her. 

«  Lady,  the  Duchess  Aoi  spoke  truth.  It 
was  an  order  of  the  Emperor.  She  could 
not  disobey.     She  is  a  martyr  to  the  times." 

«  So  !     So !  " 

«  So  I  believe,"  said  Junzo,  with  unfaltering 

faith. 

"You  find  her  changed,  then?" 

"In  dress  —  in  garb,  that  is  all." 

"You  did  not  see  her  face  when  she  had 

deigned  to  turn  it  to  the  Prince  Komatzu  ? " 
"Beauty   like    hers   will    shine    from   very 

graciousness,  my  lady." 

"  Artist,   as    you   are   aware,    the    Princess 

Sado-ko  is  unconventional.    To-night  when  the 

first  ceremonies  are  past,  she  will  leave  this  ball- 


AN   EVIL  OMEN 


289 


room.  She  may  not  dance,  being  a  princess 
royal.  So  she  will  retire  to  her  private  gar- 
dens, and  there,  I  doubt  not,  will  linger  for 
a  little  while.  Come  with  me  there,  and  if 
she  chance  to  see  you,  perhaps  she  will  con- 
descend to  speak  to  you  to-night.  The  prin- 
cess but  attends  the  ceremonials  on  these 
occasions.      Hence  we  will  not   have  to  wait 

for  long." 

«  A  happy  thought,"  he  said  eagerly,  as  he 

followed  Fuji-no  with  willing  feet. 

It  was  dark  without.  The  gardens  in  their 
modern  dress  lacked  the  charm  of  those  of 
the  palace  Komatzu,  yet  Junzo  trusted  it 
would  be  different  when  they  should  come  to 
Sado-ko's  own  private  place.  But  here  a 
disagreeable  surprise  awaited  him.  The  place 
was  in  a  state  of  great  disorder,  and  the 
long  reflection  of  the  palace  lights  showed 
that  the  gardens  were  being  changed  in  form 

and  style. 

«  Follow  me  with  care,"  said  Fuji-no,  "  for 
as  you  see,  the  gardens  of  her  Highness  are 
undergoing  change.     Those  who  work  by  day 


290  DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 

are  not  so  careful  to  render  the  place  safe  for 
evening  loitering." 

They  came  now  to  a  new  wing  of  fhe  palace, 
which,  too,  appeared  to  be  in  process  of  altera- 
tion. The  artist  and  the  lady  now  paused  to 
look  about  them.  They  heard  a  sound  of 
fluttering  movement  close  at  hand.  Junzo 
looked  toward  the  balcony  of  the  wing,  from 
whence  the  odd  movement  proceeded. 

"It  is  the  royal  nightingale,"  said  Fuji, 
carelessly.  "The  foolish  bird  is  beating  out 
its  life." 

"  The  nightingale,  my  lady  !  " 
"  Yes.     Have  you  never  heard  of  the  bird  ? 
It  is  the  Princess  Sado-ko's,  a  gift  to  her  from 
his  Majesty." 

"  I  have  heard  of  it,"  said  Junzo,  huskily. 
Lady  Fuji-no  suppressed  a  yawn  behind  her 
fan,  then    turned  impatiently  toward  the  bal- 
cony whence  came  the  ceaseless  sound  of  the 
bird's  movement. 

"  It  is  ill  ?  "  asked  Junzo,  shivering  at  those 
dumb  signals  of  distress. 

"Why,  no  —  yes  —  you  might  so  call  it." 


AN  EVIL   OMEN 


291 


«  How  sad  it  must  be  for  the  princess,"  he 
murmured.  "She  loved  the  bird  as  though 
it  were  a  human  thing." 

The  Lady  Fuji  curled  her  scornful  lip. 

«  Tai..  •  :ot,  artist,  of  love  in  the  same  breath 
with  Sado-ko.     If  it  is  love  to  cage  a  helpless 

thmg — 

"Caged,  you  say!  I  do  not  understand. 
I  was  informed  the  cage  was  open  always,  but 
that  the  bird  clung  to  it  in  very  gratitude  for 
the  royal  kindness  shown." 

«  So  it  seemed  till  lately,"  said  Fuji.     «  The 
princess,  however,  has  been  given  to  the  most 
inexplicable  whims  and  caprices,  one  of  which 
was  to  close  tight  the  door  of  her  own  night- 
ingale, making  it  a  prisoner.     Since  then  the 
foolish   thing  seems   ill  and  languishing,  and 
spends  the  night  in  vain  attempts  to  escape." 
Junzo.  glanced  uneasily  toward  the  balcony. 
A   moonbeam   shone   upon    the   gilded   cage, 
depending   from   an   eave   by  its  long   chain. 
The    artist    shuddered    and   paced    restlessly 
about   the  path.     Suddenly  he   came  back  to 
Fuji.     His  voice  had  a  despairing  note  within  it. 


^1 


W 


292 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


"  Why  did  she  do  it,  lady  ?  Do  you  know 
the  reason  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Do  what,  Sir  Artist?" 

"  Cage  up  the  bird,  when  it  was  hers 
already,  captive   to  her  will  to  come  or  go." 

"A  mere  caprice,  artist.  One  day  she 
made  a  sudden  exclamation  of  delight  as 
though  she  had  but  just  perceived  the  night- 
ingale for  the  first  time.  '  Oh,  see  the  joyous, 
pretty  bird  ! '  she  said,  '  and  hear  it  sing !  *  It 
was  at  this  time  upon  a  camphor  tree  close 
by,  and  singing,  in  its  own  free  way,  a  serenade 
no  doubt  to  her.  *  Why,'  said  the  Countess 
Matsuka,  '^'tis  your  own  nightingale,  your 
Highness.*  'Mine!*  said  she,  and  seemed 
to  pause  bewilderedly.  Then  suddenly  she 
clapped  her  hands.  *  Oh,  yes,  for  sure  it  is 
mine.  Where  is  its  cage  ? '  *  Why,  here,'  said 
Countess  Matsuka,  who  at  this  time  alone 
attended  her.  The  princess  put  her  hand 
upon  the  cage  th^n,  leaning  from  her  balcony, 
chirped  and  whistled  for  the  bird  in  such  an 
odd  and  unfamiliar  fashion  that  the  countess 
was  amazed,  and  still  more  so  seemed  the  bird, 


AN  EVIL  OMEN 


293 


for,  pausing  in   its   song,  it  cocked  its  head, 
fluttered   its  wings   in   sudden   agitation,  and 
then  it  spread  them  wide  and  flew  away.     The 
princess  was  so  disappointed  she  wept  in  child- 
ish anger,  though  Countess  Matsuka  assured 
her  it  would  return  at  dark,  and  take  its  night 
perch  in  the  cage.     *  And  will  it  stay  ? '  asked 
Sado-ko.       'Why,    princess,    just     as    ever.' 
Then  she  said  she  would  not  trust  the  bird, 
and  on  that  very  night,  waited  in  person  for 
its   coming.     With  her  own  royal  hands  she 
trapped  it  in   the  cage  and  closed  the  door, 
though  it  was  said  her  maiden,  Natsu-no,  im- 
plored her   on  her  knees  to  spare  it.     Since 
then  the  maiden  scarcely  speaks,  and  like  the 
bird  is  said  to  droop." 

The  artist  smothered  a  deep  groan. 
«  Do  you  not  like  the  story?"  asked  the  lady. 
« I  cannot  believe  it,"  he  replied. 
"Then  look  upon  the  cage  yourself." 
«  It  hurts  my  sight.     I  will  not,"  said  the 
man,   and  then  he  added,  deeply,  « It  is  an 

evil  omen." 

«  Heed  it,  artist  1 "  said  the  Lady  Fuji-no. 


pi; 


'm 


ii 


CHAPTER   XXI 
«YOU  ARE  NOT  SADO-KO!" 


-< 


--e^ 


» 


-■^-.^^^^^ 


\\mm 


I 


CHAPTER  XXI 

"  you    ARE     NOT    SADO-KO  !  " 

IT  was  such  another  moonlight  night  as 
that  on  which  the  Princess  Sado-ko  kept 
her  last  tryst  with  the  artist  Junzo,  but 
in  the  Nijo  gardens  no  sight  was  reminiscent 
of  the  flowering  gardens  of  Komatzu.  No 
bamboo  grove  offered  inviting  lanes  for  loi- 
tering lovers,  no  stately  camphor  trees  threw 
their  flickering  shadows  of  mystery  upon  the 
moonlit  grass. 

The  lawns  about  the  palace  Nijo  were  quite 
bare  of  trees,  and  even  by  the  wing  of  the 
Princess  Sado-ko's  apartments  the  new  and 
ruthless  carpenters,  not  gardeners,  had  torn 
up  the  bright  flowering  trees  and  shrubs  to 
put  in  their  places  painted  boxes,  filled  with 
foreign  ferns  and  flowers  of  priceless  value,  — 
gifts  from  diplomats  to  the  flattered  Japanese. 

297 


II 


298 


DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 


Junzo  and  Fuji-no  kept  within  the  shadow 
of  the  princess's  balcony,  there  being  no  trees 
or  foliage  at  hand  to  screen  them  otherwise. 

The  new-laid  path  which  led  from  the  front 
of  the  palace  to  Sado-ko's  wing,  was  white  in 
the  moonlight,  hence  Junzo  was  quick  to  see 
a  shadow  fall  upon  it.  He  leaned  so  far  for- 
ward to  gaze  along  the  path,  that  Lady  Fuji 
drew  him  backward. 

"The  light  is  on  your  head.  Be  careful, 
artist,  if  you  please.  Pray  have  some  patience. 
They  are  quite  close  at  hand." 

Too  close  they  seemed  just  then  to  Junzo, 
as  they  came  along  the  broad,  white  path  with 
slow  and  loitering  steps.  The  tall  soldier- 
prince  bent  to  her  who  turned  her  face  to  his, 
like  a  flower  to  the  sun. 

When  they  had  come  quite  close  to 
Sado-ko's  veranda  they  paused  a  moment, 
seeking  some  new  excuse  for  lingering. 

She  made  a  childish  movement,  naive  yet 
eloquent.  An  artful  shudder  slipped  her  wrap 
to  the  ground.  Her  shining  shoulders,  bare 
and   white,   were   revealed  in   the   moonlight. 


"YOU   ARE  NOT  SADO-KO!"     199 


The  prince  stooped  quickly  to  the  ground, 
picked  up  the  cloak,  and,  hesitating  a  moment, 
held  it  in  his  hand.  She  shivered  purposely. 
Then  with  a  sudden  movement  he  wrapped 
the  cloak  around  her,  and  somehow  in  the 
doing  his  arms  stayed  for  a  space  about  her. 
Her  face  was  close  to  his.  Softly  her  loosened 
hair  brushed  now  against  his  lips.  While  still 
his  lingering  arm  was  drooping  on  her  shoul- 
der, she  said,  in  a  low,  wooing  voice :  — 

"  Komatzu,  pray  you  hold  my  garment  on 
me  for  a  space,  for  I  would  take  these  long 
and  stupid  gloves  from     ly  arms." 

"  Let  me  do  so,"  he  begged  eagerly ;  and, 
taking  one  of  her  small  hands  in  his,  slowly 
drew  the  glove  away,  then  still  held  the  hand 
clasped  in  his  own. 

"  It  is  my  hand  —  all  mine  1 "  he  whispered. 
Stooping,  he  kissed  the  soft,  white  flesh,  in 
the  emotional  French  way. 

"All  yours,  Komatzu!"  Junzo  heard  her 
sigh  in  answer.  The  artist  did  not  move. 
Like  a  man  turned  suddenly  to  stone,  he 
simply  s.ared  out  at  the  scene,  with  fixed  eyes. 


I 


11 


f  t 


300 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


ii»^l 


14 


-■'■'  (J' 


^1^ 


<f 


He  heard  as  in  a  dream  the  voice  of  this  proud 
prince  whispering  again  to  her,  who  but  so 
lately  clung  to  him,  the  lowly  artist,  with  such 
piteous  tears  and  prayers. 

"To-morrow,"  said  the  prince,  "his  Maj- 
esty will  come  to  Tokyo.  I  will  present  my- 
self before  him  and  importune  him  to  seal  our 
betrothal.  His  ministers  are  all  in  favor  of 
mv  suit,  but  the  sanction  of  his  Majesty  is 
needed.  That,  I  am  sure,  he  intends  to  give, 
for  I  have  heard  that  he  made  promise  to  our 
august  grandmother,  the  Empress  Dowager, 
that  he  would  make  sweet  Sado-ko  the  high- 
est princess  in  the  land.  Next  to  the  Crown 
Prince  cf  Japan,  I  am  the  highest  prince." 

She  smoothed  with  litde  restless  hand  the 
foreign  fabric  of  his  coat.  Her  voice  was 
somewhat  faint :  — 

"  If     his     Majesty    should     not     consent, 

Komatzu  ? " 

"  Why  even  dream  of  such  a  thing  ? "  he 
asked.  "  Am  I  not  the  very  one  most  fitted 
for  your  husband,  and  have  I  not  served  well 
his  Majesty  ? " 


"YOU   ARE   NOT   SADO-KO  !  "     301 

She  seized  his  hand  and  held  it  close  against 
her  face. 

"  Komatzu,  were  I  not  of  equal  rank  with 
you,  —  if  I  were  but  a  simple  maiden  of  humble 
parentage,  —  would  you  still  love  me  ?  " 

"I  do  not  love  your  rank,  sweet  cousin, 
but  your  own  self." 

"  But  if  I  were  not  of  your  rank,  what 
then?" 

"  Capricious  Sado-ko,  why  ask  such  foolish 
questions  ? " 

"  Would  you  still  marry  me  if  I  were  not 
a  royal  princess  ?  " 

"  I  still  would  love  you,  Sado-ko.  I  could 
not  marry  you  in  that  event.  Why,  you 
turn  your  face  away !  The  tears  are  in  your 
eyes.     Cousin,  you  are  too  fanciful." 

"  Love  makes  me  so,"  she  said,  and  sighed. 

"  How  strange,"  he  said,  "  that  we  should 
speak  so  freely  of  our  love.  A  little  while 
ago  the  subject  would  have  been  deemed  inde- 
cent. Now  it  is  a  foreign  fashion  and  we 
Japanese  speak  out  our  love  without  the 
smallest  blush  of  shame.    'Tis  strange,  indeed  ! " 


■;■  ;h; 


hli 


302  DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 

"It  is  not  only  fashion,"  she  protested; 
"  love  is  not  a  new  thing,  —  a  caprice,  a  whim, 
like  such  and  such  a  dress,  a  hat  or  shoe  or 

fan." 

"  It  is  a  new  device  of  speech  in  our  Japan," 
the  prince  declared,  thoughtfully. 

With  childish  petulance  she  turned  toward 
the  balcony. 

"Which  you  do  not  approve,  Komatzu?" 

"  Why,  yes,  I  do  ap:!!-ove  it,  Sado-ko.  It 
is  most  beautiful  and  pure,  moreover.  But, 
cousin,  as  you  know,  I  never  spoke  it  yet  — 
this  love  — till  lately.  Then,  somehow,  when 
you  came  back  from  the  palace  Aoyama,  a 
something  in  your  eyes  seemed  to  beckon  me 
to  you  and  force  the  words  of  love  to  overrun 

my  lips." 

"  They  were  not  merely  words  of  lips  ?  " 
"  No,  no.  But  I,  you  know,  am  not  com- 
pletely modern  in  my  thought,  despite  my 
dress,  and,  too,  I  am  a  soldier.  So  sometimes 
if  my  words  seem  clumsy — stupid —  I  fear  vou 
must  compare  them  with  the  flowery  speeches 
of  others." 


"YOU   ARE   NOT  SADO-KO!"     303 


"  Others,  Komatzu  ?  What  others  could 
there  be?" 

His  voice  was  low  and  nervous.  He  seemed 
to  hesitate. 

"  Cousin,  have  you  forgotten  the  artist- 
man  ? " 

"  The  artist-man  !  "  she  gave  a  little  cry, 
then  quickly  covered  up  her  lips  with  her 
fingers. 

"  Yc  start!  Kamura  Junzo  his  name  was. 
Once  I  thought  you  favored  him.  So  thought 
all  the  members  of  the  court.  I  could  not 
close  my  ears  against  the  romance,  though 
I  severely  disapproved  the  slander,  and  named 
it  such ;  for  I  deemed  your  condescension  to 
the  man  the  idle  fancy  of  a  princess  noted 
for  her  oddities  and  caprices.  But  lately,  the 
mere  thought  cf  him  causes  my  brain  to  burn 
with  raging  and  unworthy  jealousy." 

She  rested  one  small  hand  against  the  railing 
of  her  balcony,  then  slowly  drew  up  her  slen- 
der figure. 

"The  artist  is  no  more  to  me,"  she  said, 
"  than  any  slave  who  dresses  me,  sings  to  me. 


ii 


304  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

entertains  me,  comes  at  my  command,  or  paints 
for  me  my  picture." 

"  Yet,  Sado-ko,  the  artist  did  not  paint  your 

picture." 

For  a  moment  she  stood  still  in  bewilder- 
ment, then  went  a  step  toward  him.  Her 
words  were  stammering,  the  a  changed  to 
fervent,  passionate  appeal. 

"Why,  yes,  he  painted  —  that  —  assuredly 
he  painted  —  it  does  not  matter  what  the 
artist  did.  Komatzu,  1  have  no  thought 
within  my  mind,  nor  love  within  my  heart, 
for  any  one  in  all  the  world  save  you." 

He  took  her  hands  and  drew  them  upward 
to  his  lips,  there  to  hold  them  for  a  space, 
then  let  them  go  again. 

"I  am  quite  satisfied,"  he  said.  "Truth 
itself  shines  in  your  face,  my  Sado-ko.  And 
now,  sweet  cousin,  we  will  say  good  night, 
for  it  is  late,  and  I  would  not  have  your 
beauteous  eyes  lose  one  small  atom  of  their 
lustre.     And  so  for  the  night,  sayonara!" 

Softly    and    lingeringly    she    repeated    the 
word.     She  watched  him  as   he  walked  along 


"YOU   ARE   NOT   SADO-KO!"     305 

the  path,  until  he  had  quite  disappeared. 
Then  slowly,  dreamily  she  ascended  the  little 
steps.  She  stopped  in  sudden  irritation  at 
the  sound  of  the  restless  bird  within  the  cage. 
Moving  toward  it,  she  shook  the  cage  with 
some  nervous  violence. 

"Be  still!"  she  said.  "You  break  my 
thoughts,  you  foolish  bird  !     Be  still,  I  say  !  " 

The  Lady  Fuji  touched  the  artist's  arm. 
He  did  not  stir.  Peering  up  into  his  face, 
she  started  back  at  sight  of  the  dull,  frozen 
look.  A  glimmer  of  compassion  crossed  her 
breast.     She  whispered:  — 

"Artist,  come  away." 

He  did  not  move. 

"  Pray  come  !  "   urged  Fuji. 

Masago,  standing  by  the  bird-cage  on  the 
balcony,  thought  she  heard  some  whispering 
voices  close  at  hand.  She  leaned  over  the 
railing  and  called,  in  fearful  voice:  — 

"Who  are  the  honorable  ones  below?" 

As  Fuji  sought  to  draw  the  artist  away, 
the  movement  of  her  effort  reached  the 
ears  of  her  itiistress.     The  latter  crossed  the 


3o6 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


veranda  with  quick  steps,  and,  leaning  down 
close  to  the  sound,  saw  those  two  figures  in 
the  shadow.  A  moment  later  the  Lady 
Fuji-no,  drawing  her  cape  before  her  face, 
fled  along  the  path,  and  disappeared. 

Moving  mechanically  to  the  light,  the  artist 
turned  his  face  to  Masago.  A  muffled  cry 
escaped  her  lips.  She  shrank  back,  still 
clinging  to  the  railing  of  the  balcony. 

**■  Kamuia  Junzo  !  "  she  cried.  "  You  !  — 
and  here ! " 

"  1  do  not  know  your  voice,"  he  said  in 
strange,  wondering  tones. 

"  I  remember  now,"  she  said.  "  You  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  Princess  Sado-ko.  You  wished 
to  look  —  look  at  her.  You  —  you  asked  the 
favor.     Well  — I  — I  am  Sado-ko!" 

He  moved  his  head  and  stared  upon  her 
face  with  straining  eyes. 

"  You  are  not  Sado-ko  !  "   he  said. 

She  trembled  with  fear. 

"  I  do  assure  you  "  —  she  began,  her  hand 
going  to  her  throat  to  stay  her  frightened 
breathing. 


"YOU  ARE  NOT  SADO-KO  !  "     307 

"You  are  not  Sado-ko,  I  say!" 

Her  voice  was  raised  and  shrill. 

"  I  am  the  Princess  Sado-ko,"  she  cried. 
"  I  do  defy  you,  artist-man,  to  prove  I  am 
not  Sado-ko." 

His  vague  and  wandering  words  recalled 
her  self-possession.  She  knew  that  she  had 
needlessly  excited  her  fears. 

"You  are  not  Sado-ko,"  he  said,  "for  she 
was  kind  and  sweet;  but  you  —  you  are  a 
nightmare  of  my  Sado-ko.  Your  face  is  hers, 
yet  still  you  are  not  Sado-ko.  Your  soul  is 
false;  your  heart  is  dead,  for  Sado-ko  is 
dead,  and  you  who  once  were  Sado-ko  are  but 
her  ghost.     You  are  not  Sado-ko." 

She  grew  afraid  of  that  white,  glaring  face, 
and  hoarse,  wandering  voice.  Turning,  she 
hastened  to  her  room,  drawing  the  doors  close 
behind  her. 

The  artist  stood  alone.  Then  suddenly  he 
laughed  out  wildly,  loudly.  Again  he  paused 
in  silence.  Then  laughed  aloud  again,  in  that 
wild  way.  He  heard  the  noise,  the  heavy  step 
of  palace  guards.    Then  Junzo  turned  and  fied 


3o8 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


like  the  wind,  his  fleet  and  sandalled  feet  carry- 
ing him  with  more  than  natural  speed  onward 
and  onward.  Past  startled  groups  of  garden 
revellers,  past  loitering  lovers,  and  past  guards 
about  the  grounds,  and  outward  through  the 
palace  gates  he  plunged  on  toward  the  citv, 
gleaming  out  in  specks  of  light  below. 


CHAPTER    XXII 


THE  COMING   HOME  OF  JUNZO 


%  i 


CHAPTER  XXII 


THE    COMING    HOME   OF  JUNZO 

THOUGH  samurai  by  birth,  the  Kamura 
family  were  of  gentler  nature  than  their 
stern  ancestors,  and  so  no  feeling  of 
anger  or  bitterness  had  been  cherished  against 
their  son  Junzo.  His  parents  made  their  sad 
apologies  to  their  guests,  who  hastily  departed, 
cloaking  their  feelings  behind  their  well-bred, 
stoic  faces.  Yamada  Kwacho  alone  lingered 
to  speak  a  word  of  gruff  sympathy  to  the 
parents,  and  to  offer  what  aid  was  in  his  power. 
When  they  insisted  that  their  son  was  surely 
ill,  Kwacho  said  at  once  he  would  go  to  Tokyo 
and  personally  seek  the  young  man  in  the 
capital. 

Meanwhile,  the  Kamura  family  kept  a  tire- 
less, ceaseless  watch  for  Junzo.  Though  days 
and  weeks  and  then  a  month  slipped  slowly 

3" 


3'2 


DAIKJHTKRS   OF   NIJO 


>l 


i%. 


by,  each  member  of  the  household  took  his 
place  by  day  at  a  small  lookout  station  to 
watch  for  any  sight  of  ani-san  (elder  brother). 
By  night  a  light  turned  to  the  east  burned 
at  the  casement  of  Junzo's  chamber,  while 
mother  and  father  knelt  at  shoji  doors,  keep- 
ing the  watch.  Thus  would  they  watch  by  day 
and  night,  so  any  hour  he  might  come  would 
find  them  waiting  patiently. 

Two  months  had  passed  since  Junzo  left 
Kamakura,  when  the  belated  word  came  from 
Tokyo.  Yamada  Kwacho  had  found  the 
wand  .ring  Junzo. 

No  inember  of  the  Kamura  family  retired 
that  night.  Even  the  smallest  child  knelt  by 
the  shoji  and  watched  for  Junzo.  A  series 
of  heavy  rains  had  darkened  the  days  una 
nights.  The  clinging  fog  of  the  Hayama 
hung  heavily  in  the  atmosphere. 

Not  a  star  or  gleam  of  moon  shone  out  to 
soften  the  blackness  of  the  night  sky.  When 
the  slothful  morning  crept  in  timid  wonder 
over  the  hills,  and  pushed  with  soft,  gray  hands 
the  night  away,  the  watchers  saw  the  fog  was 


w>  1  ■ 


THE  COMING   HOME  OK  JUNZO    313 

vanquished,  and  that  the  pale  morning   mist 
bespoke  a  brighter  day  to  dawn. 

When  the  first  gleam  of  the  long- looked-for 
sun  came  up  the  eastern  slope,  Junzo  staggered 
down  the  hills  o(  Kamakura  toward  his  home. 
Those  watching  at  the  shoji  saw  him  as  he 
passed  with  down-bent  head  within  the  gate. 
Then  the  calm  of  caste  and  school  broke  down 
before  the  throb  of  parenthood.  Father  and 
mother  hastened  dowi  the  garden  path  to 
meet  their  son. 

"  The  fog ! "  It  was  the  mother  who  spoke 
in  sobbing  tones,  as  she  fondled  the  hands  of 
her  eldest  son.  "You  honorably  did  lose 
your  way,  Junzo." 

His  restless  eyes  wandered  from  hers,  and 
he  pushed  back,  absently,  the  long  black  locks 
that  tumbled  on  his  brow. 

"It  was  the  fog  that  kept  you,  Junzo?" 

she  urged. 

"The  fog?"  he  said  dazedly.  "No  — 
that  is,  yes.     It  was  the  fog,  good  mother." 

"So  dark  a  night!  Oh,  son,  we  thought 
that  you    might  wander   from    the    path    and 


314 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


.1 


come  to  the  river  bank."  She  shuddered  at 
the  thought. 

"  Yet,  you  came  down  from  the  direction  of 
the  hills,"  said  his  father,  anxiously.  "  Did 
you  abide  there  last  night  ? " 

"  Yes,"  said  Junzo,  "  throughout  the  long, 
long  night,  my  father." 

The  silent  Kwacho  shook  his  head,  then 
whispered  in  the  father's  ear :  — 

"  We  arrived  last  night,  good  friend,  quite 
early,  but  Junzo,  as  you  see,  is  ill  and  I  could 
not  leave  him  for  a  moment.  Hence,  Oka 
being  nowhere  at  hand,  and  not  a  vehicle  in 
sight,  I  sought  to  lead  him  homeward.  But 
no,  he  turned  his  feet  in  new  directions.  He 
stumbled  here  and  there  across  the  fields  and 
up  and  down  the  hills,  and  finally  we  reached 
the  walls  of  Aoyama.  I  could  not  lead  him, 
since  he  would  not  have  it  so,  and  so  I 
humored  his  strange  fancy,  and  hence,  good 
friend,  have  spent  the  night  crouched  down 
beside  the  palace  walls,  without  covering, 
indeed,  without  the  much-desired  good  sleep." 

"Oh,  come  indoors,  at  once,"  the  mother 


THE   COMING   HOME   OF  JUNZO    315 


entreated,  for  Junzo  lingered  absently  on  the 
threshold.  "  Your  face  is  pale,  dear  son,  and 
oh,  your  clothes  are  quite  soaked  with  dew." 

He  followed  her  mecuanically,  though  he 
seemed,  as  yet,  to  h  ve  noted  nothing  of 
the  haggard  aspect  ..f  their  loving  faces. 
His  thoughts  seemed  far  away.  When  his 
youngest  brother,  a  little  boy  of  five,  came 
with  running  steps  to  meet  him  and  called 
his  name,  he  simply  tapped  the  child  upon 
the  head. 

The  anxious  mother  had  now  become  the 
zealous  nurse  and  housewife.  She  clapped 
her  hands  a  dozen  times,  and  sent  two 
attendants  speeding  for  warm  tea  and  dry 
clothes.  The  children  were  put  in  charge 
of  Haru-no,  who  took  them  immediately  to 
a  neighbor's  house.  Soon  there  was  no  one 
left  in  the  apartment  save  mother  and  son. 

"  We  will  take  good  care  of  you,  my  son," 
she  said,  "  and  when  you  are  quite  recovered, 
we  will  have  another  council." 

He  repeated  the  word  stupidly. 

"  Of  what  council  do  you  speak  ? " 


it* 


1 1 


3ib 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


'%  ! 


She  stroked  the  damp  hair  backward  with 
her  tender  fingers. 

"My  Junzo  always  was  the  absent-minded 
son,  so  given  to  his  studies  and  his  art  he 
could  not  spare  a  thought  for  other  matters." 

He  put  his  hands  upon  those  on  his  head, 
and  drew  his  mother  about  until  she  was  before 
him.     Then,  looking  in  her  face  with  search 
ing,  troubled  eyes,  he  said :  — 

"  Was  there  a  council  of  our  family  ?  " 

"Why,  yes,  my  son,  —  that  day  you  went 
to  Tokyo." 

He  passed  his  hand  across  his  brow,  then 
seemed  to  listen  for  a  space.  Slowly  a  look 
of  horror  crept  across  his  face. 

"  It  was  my  marriage  cou.icil!"  he  gasped. 

"  Why,  yes,  dear  Junzo ;  your  marriage  to 
the  maid  Masago.  Ah,  you  are  quite  ill,  my 
son." 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  stood  in  quiver- 
ing thought.  She  heard  him  mutter  half  aloud, 
despairingly :  — 

"  But  she  had  gone  away  —  to  Tokyo.  They 
told  me  so." 


THE   COMING   HOME   OF  JUNZO    31; 


"  Why,  no,  it  is  a  mistake.  Who  told  you 
that  she  went  to  Tokyo,  my  son  ? " 

"  The  palace  guards,"  he  said,  not  looking 
at  his  mother. 

"  Oh,  you  are  surely  ill,  my  son." 

"  I  am  not  ill,"  he  said,  with  persistent 
gentleness;  "but  I  am  speaking  truth,  dear 
mother.  Do  I  not  know  of  what  I  speak, 
for  was  I  not  close  by  the  pakce  walls  through- 
out the  length  of  one  whole  night  ?  I  tell  you, 
mother,  that  I  saw  her  go  to  Tokyo." 

His  mother  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck, 
then,  bursting  into  tears,  clung  to  him, 

"Son,"  she  sobbed,  "do  not  speak  of 
Tokyo.  The  parent  of  your  fiancee,  Yamada 
Kwacho,  is  even  now  within  our  domicile,  and 
the  chaste  maiden  is  safe  in  her  home." 

He  spoke  with  slow  and  hazy  positive- 
ness :  — 

"  She  went  to  Tokyo  that  night.  I  was  so 
close  unto  her  norimon  that  I  could  even 
touch  it,  and  through  the  fog  and  the  dim 
night  I  cried  her  name  aloud.  It  sounded 
wildly  in  the  night  air." 


^>il 


vfl 


3'8 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


1^ 


W" 


s  W 


He  undid  the  clinging  arms  about  his  neck, 
and  stood  as  though  plunged  deep  in  moody 
thought.  When  his  father  and  brother  came 
into  the  room,  he  did  not  lift  his  head. 

"  Junzo,    do    you    know    your    brother  ? " 
asked  the  youth  Okido,  stepping  to  his  side. 
Junzo  raised  his  head. 
"  Why,  yes,  you  are  r.ny  younger  brother, 
Kido-sama.     Good  morning!" 

"  Oh,  ani-san ! "  cried  the  youth,  in  mourn- 
ful tones.  "  How  strangely  you  speak,  how 
strangely  you  look !  " 

"Son,"  said  the  father,  sternly,  laying  his 
hands  on  Junzo's  shoulder,  "  it  is  your  father 
speaking  now.  I  named  you  Junzo  (obedi- 
ence). From  youth  you  have  obeyed  my  voice. 
Now  come !  I  bid  you  go  to  your  chamber. 
There  you  shall  lie,  your  mother  and  young 
sister  will  attend  you,  and  Kido  here  shall 
hasten  for  a  learned  doctor,  a  foreign  man  of 
science  lately  come  to  Kamakura.  You  are 
distraught  and  ill." 

"  But  I  am  well,  most  honored  parent." 
"  I  say  that  you  are  ill." 


THE   COMING   HOME  OF  JUNZO    319 

"  I  am  quite  well,  excellent  father,  and  I 
must  go  at  once  to  Tokyo." 

"  I  command  obedience  to  my  will  1  Come, 
Junzo ! " 

"  Command  !  A  little  while  ago  —  or  maybe 
it  was  long  ago,  within  another  lifetime,  she 
said  it  was  an  ancient  practice  to  obey  parental 
command.  Yet  I  always  was  so  fond  of  the 
old  rules  of  life  that  I  will  recognize  my  duty, 
father.  I  bow  in  filial  submissiveness  to  your 
high  will." 

But  as  he  bowed  his  head  in  mock  obedi- 
ence he  was  so  weak  he  would  have  fallen 
down,  but  that  the  sturdy  Kido  and  his  father 
supported  him. 

For  days  and  weeks  the  artist-man  of  Kama- 
kura  tossed  upon  a  bed  of  illness,  a  prey  to 
violent  fever  of  the  brain,  so  termed  by  the 
great  Dutch  doctor  visiting  the  little  town. 
After  many  days  there  came  a  calm.  Junzo 
slept  and  dreamed. 

He  thought  the  angel  face  of  Sado-ko  bent 
over  his  heated  head,  and  that  she  brushed  the 
tumbled  locks  back  from  his  brow,  and  cooled 


-nl 


,»l 


320 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIjO 


it  with  her  own  soft,  lovely  hands.  He  cried 
her  name  and  whispered  it  again  and  yet  again. 
Was  it  only  fancy,  or  did  he  truly  hear  that 
low,  low  voice,  sighing  back  in  answer,  and 
soothing  him  with  tender  words  of  love  ? 


Ill 


T,' 


1- 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


'W 


THE  CONVALESCENT 


i 


m 


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I 


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/**? 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


THE    CONVALESCENT 


IT  was  a  happy  day  in  the  Kamura  house- 
hold when  the  cheerful  and  rapid-moving 
foreign  doctor  pronounced  the  patient 
strong  enough  to  leave  his  room  to  sit  a  little 
while  upon  the  balcony.  His  brothers  were 
eager  to  assist  the  weak  and  emaciated  Junzo 
to  the  soft  seat  they  had  prepared  for  him. 
He  protested  that  he  was  able  to  walk  alone, 
but  finally  admitted  that  the  light,  guiding 
hand  of  his  fiancee  was  a  sufficient  support. 
So  leading  him  with  careful  step,  the  young 
girl  aided  her  lover,  while  all  his  brothers,  and 
his  young  sister  Haru-no,  watched  the  pretty 
picture  with  moistened  eyes.  The  gentle 
mother  slipped  from  the  room  to  weep  alone 
at  what  she  called  "the  goodness  of  the 
gods." 

3*3 


^i  I 


oH 


DAUGH  1  ERS   OF  NIJO 


Hff 


Once  upon  the  balcony,  the  modest  maiden 
quickly  bent  her  head  over  her  embroidery 
frame,  feigning  ignorance  of  the  eyes  upon 
her.  While  the  convalescent  absently  an- 
swered the  questions  of  his  brothers,  concern- 
ing his  comfort,  his  eyes  scarcely  left  the 
face  of  the  quiet  girl   so  close  at   hand. 

A  certain  wistful  wonder  seemed  to  lurk 
within  the  eyes  of  Junzo  in  these  days.  Yet 
a  sense  of  rest  and  quiet  pervaded  his  whole 
being.  His  lately  racked  heart  and  mind 
seemed  to  have  found  a  strange,  sustaining 
balm. 

Now  on  this  lovely  day  in  early  September, 
with  the  odor  of  the  gardens  permeating  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  sweet  breath  of  the 
country  about,  Junzo's  mind  went  vaguely 
over  the  late  events  of  his  life,  while  his  eyes 
rested  in  wondering  content  upon  the  drooped 
face   of  his  fiancee. 

The  artist,  in  his  illness,  had  been  attended 
by  one  he  called  "  Sado-ko."  When  fever 
left  him  and  partial  sense  and  reason  crept 
back    to    his   weakened    brain,   growing   daily 


THE   CONVALESCENT 


325 


with  the  strength  of  his  physical  body,  he 
marvelled  over  that  exquisite  face  that  bent 
above  him. 

And  then  one  day  his  sister,  Haru-no,  had 
called  her  by  name  —  Masago !  A  light 
broke  through  the  dazzled  brain  of  Junzo. 
She  who  nursed  him  with  tender  care  was 
not  a  princess,  but  a  simple  maiden  of  his 
own  class,  and,  most  marvellous,  she  was  his 
own  betrothed,  th«  virtuous  maid  Masago ! 
Reason  was  restored,  and  physical  strength 
increased  daily. 

Through  the  many  days  when  he  was 
forced  to  obey  the  will  of  the  insistent  foreign 
doctor,  Junzo  did  not  fret  at  his  enforced 
confinement.  Such  an  existence  was  fraught 
with  dreamful  possibilities  of  happiness.  As 
Junzo's  thoughts  became  clear,  this  was  his 
solution  of  what  he  termed  his  recent  mad- 
ness :  He  had  loved  Masago  from  the  first, 
he  told  himself.  The  very  gods  had  planned 
their  union.  Before  he  had  known  fully  the 
heart  of  his  betrothed,  she  was  sent  away  to 
school.       By   chance    this    Princess    Sado-ko 


■ «        i  * '    r  ' 

«  ^1  i  • 


!f 


i 


;: 


J26  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

crossed  his  path,  the  image  of  the  maid 
Masago.  It  was  because  of  this  he  had 
thought  he  loved  her,  while  it  was  the  other 
he  loved.  This  was  proved  by  the  fact  that 
with  a  lover's  adoration  he  was  now  drawn  to 

Masago. 

These  were  the  thoughts  of  Junzo.  Still 
more  curious  was  his  way  of  comparing  the 
princess  and  the  maiden,  with  a  weight  of 
favor  for  the  latter.  In  her  constant  presence 
Junzo  thought  darkly  of  the  falsity  of 
Sado-ko,  and  with  ecstasy  of  the  charming 
simplicity  of  this  girl  of  lowly  birth. 

As   she   sat  with    her  pretty  head  dropped 
over  her  work,  he  thought  her  lovelier  than 
ever  he  had  dreamed  the  Princess  Sado-ko. 
Once   during    the    afternoon    his    relatives 
left    the   two   alone.      Then    the    girl   softly 
raised   her   eyes,   to   glance   in    his    direction. 
At    the    ardent    glance    she    met,    her    eyes 
dropped  immediately.     So  much  did  he  wish 
to  see  again  those  dark  and  lovely  eyes  that 
he  complained  of  a  discomfort. 

He   desired   another   quilt   (though   it  was 


THE  CONVALESCENT 


3^7 


very  warm),  and  also  a  high  futon  for  h..- 
head.  She  brought  them  to  him,  without 
speaking.  When  she  put  the  pillow  under- 
neath his  head,  he  tried  to  speak  her  name 
with  all  the  ardor  of  his  love. 

"Sado— "     He  stopped  aghast.     His  lips 
had   framed   that  other  name.     The  kneeling 
maiden's  eyes  met  his.    Her  voice  was  soft :  — 
«  Who  is  Sado-ko  ?  "  she  asked. 
Flushing   in   shame    and    mortification,   he 
could  not  meet  her  eyes.     When  she  repeated 
her  quiet  question,  the  strangest  smile  dimpled 
her  lips  at  the  frown  upon  his  averted  face. 
"  Who  is  Sado-ko  ? " 
"  It  is  a  name,"  he  said,  "just  a  name." 
"  It  has  a  pretty  sound,"  she  said. 
Though  he  moved  his  head  restlessly,  she 
pursued  the  subject. 

"  Do  you  noi  think  so,  Junzo?  " 
«  It  is  an  evil  name,"  he  said  with  sudden 
vehemence.  Although  he  did  not  see  the 
little  movement  of  dismay  she  made,  he 
knew  that  she  was  leaning  toward  him.  He 
could  not  look  at  her. 


in 


ii-f 


M     J\ 


I 


328  DAUCiHTERS   OF   NIJO 

"  You  do  not  like  the  name  of  Sado-ko  ?  " 
she  said.     "  Why,  that  is  strange  !  " 

At   last   he  looked   at   her,  then  wondered 
why  she  swiftly  blushed,  averting  her  eyes. 

"  Why  strange  ? "  he  asked,  his  eyes  linger- 
ing upon  her  flushing  face. 

"  Because  it  was  a  name  you  called  unceas- 
ingly throughout  your  illness,"  she  said. 

"  I  called  on  you."  He  took  her  hand  to 
hold  it  closely  within  his  own. 

She  stammered  over  her  words,  thrilling  at 
his  touch  upon  her  hands. 

"  But  is  m.y  —  my  name,  then  —  Sado-ko  ? " 
she  asked. 

His  troubled  eyes  were  on  her  face,  a  wist- 
ful wonder  in  their  glance. 

"  I  thought  you  so,"  he  whispered  softly. 

She  let  her  hand  remain  in  his,  for  it  was 
sweet  to  feel  his  touch,  yet,  with  the  strangest 
stubbornness,  she  urged  the  question :  — 

"  Why  did  you  think  me  Sado-ko  ? " 

"  I  v/ill  tell  you  why  some  other  day,"  he 
ansv/ered  in  a  low  voice. 

"  But  am  I  not  Masago  ?  "  she  persisted. 


THE    CONVALESCENT 


329 


"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  Masago  is  your  name, 
and  it  is  sweeter,  simpler,  lovelier  far  than  —  " 

She  drew  her  hands  from  his  with  passionate 
petulance.     Her  eyes  were  hurt. 

"  You  like  Masago  better,  then,  than 
Sado-ko  ? "    was    her   astonishing   question. 

"The  name?  Why,  yes.  It  has  a  sweeter 
sound  —  Masago  !  'Tis  the  loveliest  of  flow- 
ers, —  modest,  simple,  and  fair." 

She  caught  her  breath.  When  she  raised  her 
eyes  to  his,  they  were  full  of  deep  reproach. 
Moving  away  she  turned  her  back,  and  would 
not  turn  or  listen  to  his  calling  of  her  name :  — 

"  Masago,  Masago  !  "  Then,  after  a  short 
sdlence,  "  Have  I  offended  you,  Masago  ?  " 

She  answered  without  turning  her  head :  — 

"  You  have  offended  Sado-ko." 

He  could  not  answer  that  strange,  inexpli- 
cable remark,  so  kept  silent  for  a  space.     Then : 

"  Masago,  pray  you  turn  your  pretty  head 
this  way." 

She  moved  it  petulantly. 

He  raised  himself  upon  his  elbow. 

"  Masago !  " 


lit' 


mi 


I 


I 


330  DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 

She  did  not  answer. 

"Well,  then,  if  you  will  treat  me  so,  and  will 
not  come  to  me  like  a  most  dutiful  affianced 
wife,  why  I,  though  ill,  shall  come  to  you." 
He  made  a  threatening  stir.  At  that  she 
started  toward  him,  anxiety  for  his  health 
stronger  than  her  childish  petulance. 

"No,  no,  do  not  move,"  she  said.  "I -—I 
will  come  to  you  if— if  you  desire  it." 

She  took  her  place  again  by  his  side.  Im- 
mediately he  possessed  himself  of  both  her 
slim  hands. 

"  Now  look  at  me,"  he  said. 

She  met  his  eyes,  then  flushed  and  trembled  at 
the  love  she  must  have  seen  reflected  in  his  face. 

"Masago,"  he  said,  "when  Junzo  once 
again  regains  his  normal  strength,  he  has  a 
tale  to  tell  his  little  wife, -a  foolish  tale  of 
youth's  brief  madness  in  a  summer,  of  heart- 
burning and  heart-breaking,  tears  of  weakness, 
filial  disobedience,  falsity,  and  then  —  despair. 
Afterward  —  the  light !  " 

*•'  The  light ' "  she  said  in  a  strange,  b.-eath- 
less  voice. 


I'l' 


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1 

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THE    CONVALESCENT 


333 


"A  face,"  he  said,  —  "the  soothing  face  of 
my  Masago." 

"Oh,  do  not  call  me  so,"  she  cried  almost 
piteousiy  ;  "  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  it." 

"Why—" 

"  Call  me  not  Masago.  I  do  not  like  the 
name." 

"But—" 

"  No,  no.  It  is  quite  well  that  others  — 
say  my  honorable  parents  and  brothers — should 
call  me  so,  but  it  sounds  unkindly  from  your 
lips,  dear  Junzo.  Indeed,  I  —  I  hardly  can 
express  my  feelings.     I  —  I  — " 

She  broke  ofF  at  the  expression  of  bewilder- 
ment upon  his  face.  Nervously  she  entangled 
her  fingers. 

"  Call  me  what  you  will.  Let  it  be  Masago, 
if  the  name  pleases  you.  There !  my  foolish 
mood  is  past.  I  am  your  gentle  girl  once 
more." 

"  I  will  not  call  you  by  your  name,"  he 
said,  smiling  whimsically,  "since  you  do  not 
like  it.  In  a  little  while  I'll  have  another, 
sweeter  name  for  you  —  wife !  " 


k 


I 


li  : 


ii 


H  f  > 


I 


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i 


CHAPTER    XXIV 


A   ROYAL   PROCLAMATION 


',;! 


•<<rV' 


*7 


.:i^^iy^: 


is-i-/^ 


:*f 


CHAPTER   XXIV 


A    ROYAL    PROCLAMATION 


IN  the  palace  Nijo  the  latest  royal  procla- 
mation came  like  an  earthquake  shock. 
The  Emperor  at  last  had  kept  his  word 
to  his  dead  mother.  Through  word  to  Nijo, 
he  authorized  the  nuptials  of  the  Princess 
Sado-ko  to  his  own  son,  the  Crown  Prince 
of  Japan,  thus  elevating  her  to  the  highest 
position  in  the  land. 

This  great  fortune,  sudden  and  unexpected, 
gave  no  satisfaction  to  the  ambitious  Masago. 
The  test  of  life  had  come.  The  woman  in 
her  triumphed.  For  the  first  time  since  her 
coming  to  Tokyo,  Masago  shut  herself  alone 
within  the  chamber  of  the  Princess  Sado-ko. 
She  sat  and  stared  before  her  like  one 
struck  by  so  great  a  weight  that  she  could  not 
lift  it.  All  her  life  she  had  longed  for  wealth 
▼  337 


338 


DAUGHl'ERS   OF   NIJO 


!   1' 


and  power.  Now  that  the  greatest  honor  in 
the  land  was  forced  upon  her,  she  shrank 
from  it,  in  loathing. 

Masago  thought  with  aching  heart  of  the 
Prince  Komatzu.  Throughout  the  day  she 
sat  alone,  uttering  no  word,  not  even  answer- 
ing the  queries  of  her  maid,  the  woman 
Natsu-no. 

Toward  evening  she  heard  the  palace  bells 
ringing.  Knowing  why  they  rang,  she  pressed 
her  hands  to  her  ears,  a  sickening  sense  op- 
pressing her.     She  heard  the  dim  voice  of  the 

maid. 

"  Princess,  will  you  deign  to  robe  to-night  ? " 
Slowly,  mechanically,  Masago  arose,  permit- 
ting the  woman  to  lay  upon  her  a  foreign 
gown  which  only  yesterday  had  come  from 
Paris.  Now  its  tightening  stifled  her.  Her 
heavy    breathing    caused    the   woman    to   ask 

gently :  — 

"You  do    not  appear  augustly  comfortable 
to-night,    exalted    princess.     Are    you    quite 

well?" 

Masago   threw    her    bare    arms    above    her 


A   ROYAL   PROCLAMATION        339 


head,  and  paced  the  floor  like  some  tortured 
being.  Suddenly  she  turned  upon  the  woman, 
crying  out  in  an  hysterical  way :  — 

"  Why  do  you  stand  and  stare  at  me, 
woman  !  Oh-h !  My  head  is  throbbing,  and 
my  heart  beats  so  — " 

She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands. 
Swiftly  the  woman  withdrew.  In  the  next 
room  she  took  her  stand  by  the  dividing 
shoji,  watching  the  one  within. 

'•She  would  treat  me  like  the  bird,"  she 
said,  "and  it  is  dead." 

Masago  called  her  shrilly,  harshly. 

"  Woman  !  Maid !  Do  you  not  hear  me 
calling?" 

"  I  am  here,  princess ! "  said  the  woman, 
quietly,  stepping  back  into  the  room. 

"  I  cannot  bear  this  gown  to-night,"  said 
Masago.     "  It  suffocates  me.     It  is  ill-fitting." 

The  woman  patiently  removed  the  gown, 
then  waited  for  her  mistress  to  command  her 
further. 

"  Take  them  all  off,"  said  the  girl,  in  an  irri- 
tated voice.     "  These  and  these." 


I 


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111 
It 


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t> 


1 1 


%^A' 


\r*i 


340  DAUGHTERS   OK   NIJO 

She  indicated  the  silk  corsets  and  the  frail 
shoes  which  gave  her  such  unstable  support. 
Freed  of  the  foreign  garnienis,  she  seemed  to 
breathe  with  more  ease  and  comfort. 

"  Now  a  kimono, — just  a  simple,  plain  one." 

The  woman  brought  the  plainest  one  of  ail. 
Soon  Masago  was  arrayed  in  this. 

"  Do  I  appear  well  to-night  ? "  she  asked 
hysterically. 

"  Yes,  princess." 

"Will  not  his  Royal  Highness  be  aston- 
ished at  my  garb  ? " 

"  Enchanted,  princess." 

"  Enchanted  !  You  speak  foolish  words  ! 
He  is  a  modern  prince,  this  future  Emperor 
of  Japan.     He  will  despise  a  plain  kimono." 

The  woman  closed  her  lips. 

"  Say  so,"  insisted  the  girl,  wildly.  "  Agree 
with  me,  woman,  that  when  he  sees  me  in  this 
garb  to-night,  he  will  detest  the  sight  of  me, 
and  insist  unto  his  father  that  he  must  have 
another  bride.  Oh,  you  do  not  speak  !  How 
I  hate  you  !  " 

She  was  sobbing  as  she  left  the  room  in  a 


[*V  i 


A    ROYAL    PROCLAMA  liON        341 

breathless,  piteous  way,  for  no  tears  carne   to 
give  relief. 

Like  (Mne  in  a  dream  Masago  passed 
through  the  halls  of  the  Nijo  palace.  Soon 
she  WIS  in  the  great  reception  hall,  where  the 
Crown  Prince,  guest  of  her  father,  Nijo, 
awaited  her  appearance.  Her  courtesy  was 
mechanical.  She  took  her  place  beside  him 
on  the  slight  eminence  reserved  for  royalty 
alone. 

Masago  little  cared  that  night  whether  her 
maidens  whispered  and  gossiped  at  her  whim 
to  appear  once  more  in  the  national  dress.  It 
was  suggested  that  she  wore  the  gown  in  com- 
pliment to  her  exdlted  fiancee. 

As  the  girl  surveyed  the  brilliant  spectacle, 
an  intense  weariness  overtook  her.  Half  un- 
consciously she  closed  her  eyes  and  put  her 
head  back  against  the  tall  throne  chair  upon 
which  she  sat.  Then  Masago  became  deaf — 
blind  to  all  about  her.  Strange  visions  of  her 
home  passed  through  her  mind, — her  simple 
home,  quiet,  peaceful.  As  in  fancy  she  saw 
Ohano's  sympathetic  face,  she  felt  an    aching 


342 


UAUGH  lERS   OF  NIJO 


1 


'i 


i 


a:i.V 


1 


longing  to  hear  her  garrulous  voice  lowered  to 
her  in  gossip;  she  saw  again  her  happy, 
healthy  little  brothers,  romping  in  the  sunny 
garden.  Even  the  thought  of  Kwacho,  grave 
vet  always  just  and  kind,  despite  his  narrow 
prejudices,  awoke  a  vague  tenderness. 

When  some  one  spoke  the  name  of  Princess 
Sado-ko,  she  roused  herself,  then  shuddered 
at  the  very  sound. 

"  You  w  ere  so  pale,  princess,  and  you  closed 
your  eyes  just  now.  I  thought,  perchance, 
that  you  were  ill."  The  Crown  Prince  of  Japan 
spoke  with  polite  solicitude  to  the  maid  Ma- 
sago.     Her  eyes  filled  with  heavy  tears. 

"  Oh,  1  am  homesick  —  homesick  !  "  she 
murmured  in  reply. 

He  leaned  a  trifle  toward  her,  as  though 
his  boredom  were  lifted  for  a  second. 

"  Are  you  not  at  home  already,  princess  ?  " 

She  shook  her  head  in  mute  negation. 

"  What  do  you  call  your  home,  then  ?  "  he 
inquired. 

She  answered  in  a  whisper ;  — 

"  Kamakura ! " 


A    ROYAL   PROCLAxVlATlON        ^43 

"  Ah,  yes,  the  castle  Aoyama  is  there." 
She    could    not   speak    further.      A   page 
brought  tea  on  a  small    lacquered   tray.     She 
touched  it  with  her  lips,  then  again   relapsed 
into  her  attitude  of  weariness  and  languor. 

The  Crown  Prince  thought  his  cousin  both 
stupid  and  dull.  He  mentally  decided  that 
her  beauty  had  been  overrated.  Bright,  flash- 
ing eyes,  rosy  lips,  a  vivacious  countenance, 
in  these  days  were  considered  a  more  desirable 
type  of  beauty  than  this  tired,  languid,  waxen 
sort,  mysteriously  sad,  despite  perfection. 

He  wondered  whethe'-  her  allusion  to  Kama- 
kura  had  to  do  with  luo  famous  artist  there, 
of  whom  the  young  prince  had  heard. 

Report  had  told  him  that  the  capricious 
Sado-ko  had  treated  this  plain  artist  with 
familiarity  such  that  the  court  gossiped. 
While  these  thoughts  ran  vaguely  through  his 
mind,  the  princess  interrupted  with  a  ques- 
tion :  — 

"  When  is  the  wedding-day  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It  is  not  set/*  he  replied  somewhat 
stiffly. 


li- 


»NI 


,1 


jy 


344 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


Her  hands  moved  restlessly  in  her  lap, 

"  Are  there  not  other  ladies  of  the  royal 
house  more  exalted  than  I  ? "  she  asked. 

"  None,  illustrious  princess,"  he  answered 
coldly. 

She  turned  her  miserable  face  aside,  and 
stared  at  the  company  with  eyes  that  would 
fill  with  tears.  Suddenly,  hardly  conscious  of 
her  words,  she  exclaimed,  in  a  low,  passion- 
ate voice :  — 

"  I  hate  it  all !     I  hate  it  all !  " 

The  Crown  Prince  stared  in  astonishment 
at  her  feverishly  flushed  face. 

"  I  overheard  your  words,  princess,"  he 
said,  with  forbidding  candor.  "  I  do  not 
know  to  what  you  are  alluding.  The  words 
themselves  have  an  unseemly  sound." 

She  pressed  her  lips  together,  and  sat  in 
bitter  silence  after  that.  Suddenly  she 
became  conscious  of  compelling  eyes  upon 
her.  She  moved  and  breathed  with  a  new 
excitement.  Then  she  heard  the  Crown  Prince 
speaking  in  a  sarcastic,  drawling  way,  which 
already  she  had  begun  to  dislike. 


A   ROYAL    PROCLAMATION        345 

"Our   cousin,   here,    Komatzu,   is   sick  for 
Kamakura." 

She  turned  her  helpless  eyes  upon  Ko- 
niatzu's  face.  To  her  passionate,  hungry  eyes 
he  appeared  impassive  and  unmoved.  Had 
the  horrible  tidings,  then,  left  him  only  cold  ? 
"Were  the  words  of  love  he  had  whispered 
so  often  in  her  ear  but  the  carefully  prepared 
words  of  a  formal  suitor  ?  Was  he  so  much 
a  prince  that  he  could  mask  his  heart  behind 
so  impenetrable  a  countenance? 

Tears,  welling  up  from  her  aching  heart, 
dropped  unheeded  from  her  eyes.  She  made 
no  effort  to  wipe  them  away,  or  to  conceal 
her  childish  grief  and  agony.  So  this  lately 
elevated  princess,  affianced  to  a  future  em- 
peror, sat  by  his  side  in  a  public  place,  with 
tears  running  down  her  face.  The  Crown 
Prince  was  impatient  at  this  display  of  weak 
emotion,  she  knew,  and  her  action  was  unbe- 
fitting a  princess  of  Japan;  nevertheless  she 
found  herself  repeating  over  and  over  again 
in  her  heart:  — 

"  I  am  not  a  princess !     I  am  not  a  prin- 


'■■f) 


346 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


cess !  I  am  only  the  maid  Masago.  That  is 
all.  I  have  been  but  playing  at  a  masquer- 
ade, and  I  am  tired.  I  want  my  home  —  my 
parents.     My  heart  is  breaking !  " 


CHAPTER    XXV 


THE  EVE  OF   A  WEDDING 


m 

iH 

m 

'  1 

{■A 
■  1 

T\-  IT 

i 

J- 1 

CHAPTER   XXV 


THE    EVE   OF   A    WEDDING 


i 

IS 


IT  was  the  month  of  Kikuzuki  (Chrysan- 
themum). Summer  was  dying,  —  not 
dead,  —  and  in  her  latter  moments  her 
beauty  was  ethereal,  though  passionate.  The 
leaves  were  brown  and  red.  The  grass  was 
warmer  colored  than  at  any  other  time  of 
year.  The  glorious  chrysanthemum,  queen 
of  all  the  flowers  in  Japan,  lent  golden  color 
to  the  landscape.  The  skies  were  deeply  blue. 
Sometimes,  when  the  sinking  sun  was  slow 
in  fading,  its  ruddy  tints  upon  the  blue  made 
of  the  heavens  a  purple  canopy,  enchanting 
to  the  sight.  Yet  with  all  its  beauty  Novem- 
ber is  the  month  of  tears,  for  Death,  however 
beautiful,  must  always  wring  the  heart.  So 
lovers  are  pensive  and  melancholy  in  their 
happiness  at  this  sweet,  sad  season  of  the 
year. 

149 


350 


DAUGll  I  KRS    OK   NIJO 


t:.-  t 


t 
•I , 


-f  \ 


I 


; 


y^^' 


I 


It  was  the  eve  before  the  wedding  of 
the  artist  and  the  maid  Masago.  Junzo's 
artful  insistence  that  he  was  not  strong  enough 
to  do  without  the  helpful  nursing  of  his  fiancee 
had  kept  her  for  many  days  a  guest  within  his 
father's  house.  Now  it  wanted  but  the  pass- 
ing of  one  night  before  the  day  when  the 
wedding  would  take  place  at  the  house  of 
Kwacho.  Hence  the  lovers  were  on  their 
way  from  the  Kamura  residence.  It  was  twi- 
light. The  two  loitered  in  their  steps  along 
the  way,  pausing  on  every  excuse  within  the 
woods,  the  meadow  fields,  and  even  on  the 
open  highway.  They  spoke  but  little  to  each 
other,  and  then  only  at  intervals.  But  when 
they  had  approached  quite  near  the  house, 
the  girl  said  tremulously  :  — 

"  When  we  are  married,  Junzo,  I  want  to 
make  a  little  trip  with  you  —  alone." 

"  Where,  Masago  ?  " 

She  stopped,  looking  toward  the  hills. 
Then,  with  one  hand  on  his  arm  and  the 
other  lifted  from   her  sleeve,  she  pointed :  — 

"  Look,   Junzo,   how  the  royal  sun   lingers 


THE   EVE   OF   A    WEDDING       351 

on    the    palace    turrets.       It    seems    to    love 
Aoyama." 

Junzo  surveyed  the  golden  peaks  of  the 
palace,  shining  red  in  the  sunset  glow.  His 
thoughts  prevented  speech.  His  mind  dwell- 
ing on  that  one  who  had  once  made  her  home 
within  the  palace,  he  forced  his  eyes  away  to 
turn  them  on  the  dreamy  face  of  his  Masago. 

"You  spoke  of  a  little  trip,  Masago. 
Where  shall  it  be.  then.?" 

"Yonder,"  she  said,  still  pointing  toward 
the  palace. 

His  face  was  troubled. 

"I  do  not  understand.  You  do  not 
mean  —  " 

Slowly  she  nodded  her  head. 

"  Yes,  I  mean  to  Aoyama,  just  up  there  on 
the  hills,  my  Junzo.  It  would  be  a  little 
journey,  and  I  —  I  want  just  once  again  in 
my  life  to  loiter  in  the  gardens." 

"You  have  already  been  there,  then?"  he 
asked,  with  some  astonishment. 

She  caught  her  breath,  then  simply  bowed 
her  head. 


II 


DAUGHTERS   OF  NIJO 


J5» 

«  1  have  been  there  in  fancy,  Junzo,  or  per- 
haps it  was  in  dreams,"  was  her  reply.  J*  Will 
you  not  go  with  me  sometime,  in  fact  ? " 

He  hesitated,  and  moved  uncomfortably. 

«I    do    not    understand    your   fancy,"    he 

said. 

"Well,  make   the   little  journey  with  me, 

will  you  not?" 

"The  palace   is   not   public   property,"   he 

answered. 

As  she  did  not  respond  at  once,  he  seized 
the  opportunity  to  continue  their  walk,  think- 
ing in  this  way  to  divert  her.  It  was  growing 
softly  darker.  In  the  twilight  her  face  was  so 
ethereal  and  perfect  that  the  artist  could  not 
take  his  eyes  from  it.     Suddenly  she  said  quite 

simply:  — 

«  You  have  fame  at  court,  and  so  you  could 

obtain  a  pass  to  enter  the  grounds." 

«  Why,  have  you  so  strange  a  fancy,  Ma- 

sago  r 

«  Is  it  strange  ? "  she  asked,  and  stopped 
again.  In  the  dusk  of  the  woodland  lane,  her 
upturned  face  appeared  timid,  wistful. 


THK   EVE  OF   A   WEDDING       353 


"  Yes,  it  is  strange  for  a  maidci  -»t  our  class, 
Masago,  to  wish  to  enter  royal  gardens." 

*♦  Are  -hey  not  beautiful  ?  "  she  asked  wist- 
fully. 

"  Beautiful  ?  Perhaps,  to  some  eyes,  but  to 
my  mind  not  of  that  more  desirable  beauty 
nature  gives  to  our  more  simple  ga^-dens." 

"Once  you  thought  the  gardens  peerless," 
she  said;  "have  you  forgotten,  Junzo?" 

He  started  violently.  Suudenly  his  hand 
fell  upon  her  arm.  In  the  dimly  fading  light 
he  bent  to  see  her  face. 

"  How  can  you  know  of —  Masago,  your 
words  are  strange." 

She  laughed  in  that  soft  way  so  reminiscent 
to  him  always  of  that  other  one. 

"They  are  not  strange,  indeed,"  she  said, 
"  for  I  have  often  heard  that  you  declared  the 
palace  grounds  were  beautiful.  But  then," 
she  sighed,  and  resumed  the  walk,  "  an  artist 
is  no  less  a  man,  and  therefore  fickle." 

They  did  not  speak  again  until  they  reached 
Yamada's  house.  At  the  little  garden  gate 
they  paused. 


i54 


DAUCJH  I  KRS    OF    NIJO 


"  How  qviiet  all  the  world  seems  to-night !  " 
she  said. 

'♦  You  say  that  in  a  melancholy  tone  of 
voice,  Masago." 

"  Yes,  I  am  a  little  melancholy.  It  is  the 
season  and  the  night.  Have  you  forgotten, 
Junzo,  that  to-morrow  —  " 

He  did  not  let  her  finish,  but  seized  both 
her  hands. 

"  How  can  you  ask  that  question  ?  I  think 
of  that  to-morrow  every  second.  To-night 
I  will  not  sleep." 

"  Nor  I,"  she  said. 

"  What  will  you  do  ?  Tell  me,  sweet  Ma- 
s3go,  and  I  will  engage  the  night  in  the  same 
way." 

She  nestled  against  his  arm,  looking  toward 

the  stars. 

« To-night,"  she  said,  "  I'll  sit  beside  my 
shoji  doors  and  I  will  watch  the  moon.  I'll 
tell  my  heart  that  I  am  keeping  tryst  with  you, 
and  think  that  it  is  so,  that  you  and  I,  my 
junzo,  are  alone  in  some  sweet  garden,  keep- 
ing a  moon  tryst." 


THE   EVU   OF   A   WEDDING        355 

He  dropped  her  hands.  She  could  hear 
his  quickened  breath.  In  the  shadow  he  could 
not  see  her  face.  How  could  he  have  guessed 
that  Sado-ko  was  jealous  of  her  very  self? 

"  Why    did    you    drop    my    hands  ? "    shi 

asked. 

He  seemed  to  be  in  painful  thought.  His 
voice  was  husky  when  he  spoke :  — 

"  Your  words,  Masago,  start  bitter  recollec- 
tions in  my  mind." 

"  Bitter  ?  "  she  repeated  softly. 

"  Bitter,  bitter,"  he  replied. 

She  broke  his  thought,  with  a  timid  question. 

"Junzo,  this  is  our  wedding-eve.     Confide 

•     «i 

in  me. 

He  moved  from  her  a  step,  and  stood  in 
indecisive  silence.     Then  :  — 

"There  is  nothing  to  confide." 

"You  told  me  once  there  was  a  tale  that 
you  would  tell  me." 

With  an  impetuous  motion  he  once  again 
seized  her  hands. 

"You  are  too  good,  too  pure  to  hear  the 
story  of  one  both  false  and  base." 


356 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


■I 


f 


ill 


,\.i 


In  the  strangest,  most  piteous  of  voices  she 
answered :  — 

"  Perhaps  there  was  another  time  when  you 
called   her  by  another  name." 

Her  strange  words  rendered  him  quite 
speechless.  She  put  her  hand  upon  his  arm. 
There  was  a  pleading  quality  in  her  voice :  — 

"  Junzo,  do  not  think  or  speak  unkindly  of 
poor  Sado-ko,"  she  said. 

He  repeated  the  name  in  a  low,  despair- 
ing voice  :  — 

"  Sado-ko ! " 

The  very  name  recalled  his  anguish  of  the 
past. 

"  You  love  her  still  ?  "  she  asked.  Now  a 
note  of  fear  was  in  her  voice.  She  could  not 
bear  that  he  shou'd  speak  or  think  unkindly 
of  the  Princess  Sado-ko,  yet  the  very  thought 
that  he  should  love  one  who  was  no  longer 
iierself,  rendered  this  paradox  of  women  dis- 
tracted. 

"You  love  her  still?"  she  asked,  catching 
his  arm  and  shaking  it  with  her  childish 
jealousy. 


THE   EVE   OF   A  WEDDING        357 

"No,   no,"    he    said,  ihough    the   very 

thought  was  loathsome,  is  you  alone  I 
love,  my  own  Masago." 

Her  tone  was  sharply  tart. 

"  You  do  not  love  Sado-ko  ?  " 

"  I  love  Masago,"  he  said. 

She  sighed. 

"  I  would  not  have  it  otherwise,"  she  said, 

and  laughed  happily. 

"  Masago,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  ask  the  con- 
sent of  your  honored  parent  that  I  may  come 
indoors.  We  will  spend  a  portion  of  the  night 
together.  I  will  then  tell  you  all  you  wish  to 
know  concerning  that  passion  of  the  heart  I 
once  have  felt,  which  you  have  suspected.  It 
is  better  you  should  know." 


Wi 


S) 


[■Ii 


i 


CHAPTER   XXVI 


MASAGO'S   RETURN 


i 


ri 


h  \ 


I     I 


i 


-*»«/. 


=4 

il't 


h:' ' : 


Ifmi- a 


^ 


CHAPTER   XXVI 


MASAGO  S    RETURN 

ALONE  tn  the  quiet  guest  room  of  the 
Yamada  house  they  sat.  Convention 
demanded  a  light,  but  it  was  of  the 
dimmest  —  a  dull  and  flickering  andon.  Yet 
the  night  was  clear.  By  the  shoji  walls  they 
sat,  looking  into  each  other's  faces,  thinking 
always  of  the  morrow. 

She  had  listened  without  interrupting  while 
in  low,  tense  voice  he  had  told  her  of  a  mad- 
ness once  felt  for  a  high  princess.  When  he 
had  quite  finished  and  sat  in  silent,  moody 
gloom,  she  moved  nearer  to  him,  then  slipped 
her  hand  into  his,  and  nestled  up  against  his 
shoulder.      Her   voice   was    soothing    in    its 

quality. 

"  By  this  time  the  little  bird  —  the  poor 
caged   nightingale  is  dead,"  she   said.     "  The 

i6i 


362 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


gods  were  more  kind  to  you,  Junzo,  for  see, 
you  are  so  strong  you  beat  away  the  cage-bars 
and  are  quite  free  to  love  again." 

Pressing  his  face  against  her  hair,  he  said 
solemnly :  — 

"  The  gods  are  witness  of  this  fact.  You 
arc  the  only  one  that  I  have  ever  loved." 

Smiling,  she  sighed  with  happiness. 

"  Poor  Sado-ko  !  "  she  said. 

His  voice  was  earnest. 

"  I  loved  you  in  her,  Masago." 

She  smiled  in  sweetest  confidence  now. 

"  That  is  true,"  she  said.  "  I  do  believe  it, 
and  to-morrow  —  " 

"  To-morrow  will  be  a  golden  day  upon  the 
august  calendar  of  our  lives.  I  love  you ! 
Men  of  our  country  do  not  always  marry  for 
their  love,  Masago,  but  the  gods  are  kind,  and 
favor  us ! " 

"  How  sad,"  she  said,  "  it  must  be  to  marry 
one  for  whom  we  do  not  care ! " 

"  It  is  the  fate  of  many  in  our  land." 

"The  times  change,  J unzo-san.  Arc  not 
conditions  happier  to-day?" 


MASAGO'S    RETURN 


Pi 


"True.  In  the  years  to  come  they  will 
still  improve,  and  if  the  gods  grant  us  honor- 
able offspring  —  " 

"What  is  that?"  she  cried,  starting  from 
him  suddenly.  "  I  thought  I  heard  one  mov- 
ing—  and  see,  oh,  look,  there  is  a  shadow  on 
the  shoji  wall !  " 

"  Where  ? " 

"  Over  there !  See,  it  is  moving  now. 
Some  one  is  upon  our  balcony.     Oh,  Junzo  !  " 

She  clung  to  him  in  a  shivering  panic  of  fear. 

"  Do  not  tremble  so,  Masago.  Some  fool- 
ish listening  servant,  that  is  all !  One  moment, 
we  will  see  !  ** 

He  starred  to  cross  the  room  to  the  opposite 
side,  but  she  clung  to  him  with  nervous  appre- 
hension. 

"  No,  no  —  I  am  fearful !  "    she  whispered. 

"  But  some  one  is  without.  I  too  saw  and 
see  the  shadow  of  the  form.  Why  should  our 
simple  courtship  be  spied  upon?  Let  me  sec 
who  it  is,  Masago  ?  " 

They  were  speaking  in  whispers.  The  girl 
was  trembling  with  fright. 


364  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJC) 

"It  is  an  evil  omen  on  this  night,"  she 
whispered  pitifully.  "  Do  not,  pray  you,  do 
not  seek  to  find  the  cause." 

"  Your  fear  is  most  incomprehensible.  Let 
us  go  to  another  room,  then.  We  will  join 
your  honorable  parents." 

She  clung  to  him  fearfully  as  they  made 
their  way  across  the  room  together.  The 
shadow  on  the  shoji  moved  upward  from  its 
crouching  position,  and  through  the  thin  walls 
the  lovers  saw  an  arm,  with  the  long  sleeve 
of  a  woman  falling  from  it,  extended  to  push 
aside  the  doors. 

Upon  a  sudden  impulse  Junzo  strode 
toward  the  doors  and  opened  them.  The 
figure  on  the  balcony  stood  still,  silhouetted 
in  the  silvered  light  of  the  night.  Between 
the  parted  shoji  she  stood  like  one  uncertain. 
Then  suddenly  she  swayed,  as  if  about  to  faint. 
She  grasped  the  door  for  support. 

The  lovers  watched  her  in  silence  as  elo- 
quent as  though  they  gazed  upon  a  spirit. 
Then  suddenly  the  man  broke  the  spell  of 
tense  silence,  and  stooping  to  the  andon  raised 


in 


.'Between  the  parted  shoji  she  stood  like  ..ne  uncertain.' 


I 


M»f 


MASAGO'S   RETURN 


^7 


it  up  and  swung  its  light  upon  the  woman's 

*'a  cry  escaped  his  lips -a  cry  simultane- 
ously echoed  by  the  stranger.  She  stepped 
into  the  room,  and  with  her  hands  behind  her 
drew  the  sliding  door,  closed.  Now  agamst 
them  she  stood,  looking  about  her  with  vague 

'^«Who  are   you?"    hoarsely   sounded    the 

voice  of  Junzo. 

"Ask  — her '."was  the  reply  she  made, 
indicating  Sado-ko.  Junzo  slowly  turned 
toward  his  fiancee.  He  saw  her  hands  fall 
from  her  face,  which  in  the  dull  light  seemed 
now  white  as  marble.  She  turned  it  toward 
•  he  woman.     Her  voice  was  strange. 

«  I  do  not  know  you,  lady,"  was  her  answer. 
The  one  by  the  doors  laughed  with  a  fierce 
wildness,  then  threw  her  arms  above  her  head 
with  abandoned  recklessness. 

"You  do  not  know  me  — you!"  She 
laughed  again.  « You  have  reason  to  know 
me.  Princess  Sado-ko,"  she  cried. 

Cold  and  immovable  still,  the  girl  who  but 


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368  DAUGHTERS   Of   NIJO 

lately  had  clung  so  warmly  to  her  lover,  stared 
now  upon  the  visitor. 

"  '  ^°  "ot  know  you,"  she  repeated  in  dis- 
-ct  tones      "  I  a.  not  a  princess,  lady,  but  a 

-pie  ma.den,  the  daughter  of  YamadJ  Kwa! 
cno,  and  named  Masago !  " 

Then,  as   though  she'put  aside  some  late 
Phys,ca.  weakness,  the  other  crossed  and  /kced 

"I  am  the  maid  Masago,  with  whom  you 
exchanged  your  state.  Princess  Sado-ko,"  she 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment,  then  the 
■ow-toned.  deliberate  denial  of  the  ^her  ole 
"  ''  "«  true,"  she  said. 
Masago  turned  toward  the  artist 
"Look  at  me!"  she  said.     '•  You  do  not 
dare,  you  art,st-man.     You  know  that  I  speak 

As  though  she  were  an  unholy  thing,  he 

shrank    from     her  <;h»              .              ^ 

about  rh  '"^''"'^     uncertainlv 

about  the  room.  Suddenly  she  asked    quite 

querulously: ^ 

"  ""■"'   ''  -"y  "'""'er.'     I  never  realized 


MASAGO'S   RETURN  369 

before  how  much  I  loved  her."  She  looked 
about  the  room  impatiently.  "How  dark  it 
is!     Let  us  have  light." 

"  No,  no,"  cried  out  the  artist,  imploringly, 
"  there  is  sufficient." 

"  Ah,  you  fear  to  see  my  face  more  plainly, 
artist?  Yet  I  will  have  more  light.  My 
nerves  are  all  unstrung.  I  could  laugh  and 
weep,  and  I  could  scream  aloud  at  the  least 
cause." 

She  clapped  her  hands  loudly,  imperiously, 
then  restlessly  paced  the  room, 

"  The  woman  always  came  so  slowly.  The 
promptness  of  the  menials  of  Nijo  makes  me 
impatient  of  this  country  slowness." 

Outside,  in  the  corridors,  the  shuffling  tread 
of  the  servant  was  heard.  Masago,  in  her 
nervous  state,  could  not  wait  for  her  to  open 
the  doors,  but  pushed  them  apart. 

"  Bring  more  lights,"  she  commanded,  then 
stayed  the  woman  by  grasping  her  kSmono  at 
the  shoulder:  "Oh,  it  is  you  I  see,  Okiku. 
Come  inside ! " 

The  woman  stepped  into  the  room,  looking 

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370 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


up  at  her  in  a  startled  fashion,  then  glancing 
at  the  other  silent  two. 

"  Do  you  recognize  Masago  ? "  asked  the 
girl,  bringing  her  face  close  to  the  servant's. 
The  woman  cried  out  in  fright  as  she  stared 
in  horror  from  one  to  the  other.  Suddenly 
she  gasped :  — 

"It  is  a  wicked  lie.  You  are  not  Masago. 
There  is  my  sweet  girl."  She  pointed  to  the 
silent  Sado-ko. 

At  those  words  Sado-ko  seemed  to  come  to 
sudden  life.  She  crossed  the  room  and  whis- 
pered to  the  maid  :  — 

"  Okiku,  bid  my  father  and  my  mother 
come  at  once.  The  woman  seems  both  ill  and 
witless.     Pray  hasten.    Also  bring  more  lights." 

Masago  sat  down  on  the  floor.  Laying 
her  head  back  against  the  panelling  of  the 
wall,  she  closed  her  eyes  wearily. 

"  I  am  so  tired  and  worn  out,"  she  said 
plaintively  ;  "  I  have  travelled  half  the  night. 
What  time  is  it,  Onatsu-no —  Why,  I  forget 
again.  Oh,  it  is  good  to  be  home  once  more. 
I  never  knew  how  much  —  '* 


MASAGO'S   RETURN 


37' 


Ohano's  pleasant  voice  was  heard  outside 
the  door.  As  she  bustled  into  the  room,  fol- 
lowed by  Kwacho,  Masago  leaped  to  her 
feet,  and,  rushing  headlong  across  the  room, 
threw  her  arms  about  Oiiano's  neck. 

"  Mother  1     Oh,  my  mother,  mother  1 "  she 

cried. 

Ohano  stood  in  stiff  amazement,  staring 
across  Masago's  head  at  Sado-k.o.  The  maid 
brought    andons;    the    room   was    now   well 

lighted. 

«  Why  —  what  —  "  was  all  that  Ohano 
could  gasp,  but  she  had  not  the  heart  to  put 
the  girl  from  her  arms.  Yamada  Kwacho  was 
more  brusque,  however.  He  drew  the  girl 
away  from  Ohano  by  her  sleeves,  but  when  he 
saw  her  face,  he  started  in  astonished  bewilder- 
ment. 

"I  do  not  understand,"  he  said  dazedly, 
"Junzo— Masago— "  He  turned  to  them 
for  enlightenment. 

Sado-ko  spoke  with  perfect  clearness.  Her 
eyes  were  wide  and  steady,  but  there  was  no 
color  in  her  face. 


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372 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


"  The  woman  seems  demented,  father.  She 
thinks  that  she  is  other  than  herself — your 
daughter.  But  look  upon  her  garments.  See 
the  crest  upon  her  sleeves !  She  evidently  is 
some  high  lady.  Her  mind  is  wandering  in 
delusion," 

With  a  savage  cry  Masago  sprang  toward 
her.  She  would  have  struck  Sado-ko  had  not 
Kwacho  held  her. 

"What!  You — you  speak  thus  in  my 
own  father's  house !  Oh  !  "  She  turned  pite- 
ously  toward  Ohano.  "  Mother,  you  will 
understand.     You  know  your  Masago  !  " 

"  You,  Masago ! "  exclaimed  Yamada 
Kwacho ;  "  why,  you  are  wild  in  ways.  Our 
girl  from  babyhood  has  been  docile,  quiet, 
almost  dull,  while  you  —  " 

"  Mother,  speak  to  me. 
least  know  your  own  child." 

Ohano    burst    into    tears, 
entangled  and  perplexed. 

There  were  steps  without  the  house,  and 
the  shrill  calls  of  runners;  then  loud  rappings 
on    the    doors.      Kwacho   pushed    them    open 


Say  that  you  at 
Her   mind   was 


MASAGO'S   RETURN 


373 


roughly  to  find  a  dozen  men  in  livery  upon 
his  veranda.  A  tall  man  stepped  forward. 
Sado-ko  pulled  her  mother  down  with  her 
upon  the  floor,  thus  concealing  their  faces  in 
low  obeisance.  The  artist  did  not  move,  but 
his  eyes  met  those  of  the  royal  Prince  Ko- 
matzu.     The  latter  glared  upon  him  fiercely. 

"What  means  this  rude  intrusion?"  de- 
manded Kwacho.  "  We  are  simple  citizens. 
Why  are  we  disturbed  ?  " 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  screaming  of 
Masago.     She  rushed  toward  Komatzu,  crying 

out :  — 

"You,  you,  you—     He  has  sent  you  for 

me  —  oh-h  — 

She  swayed  and  fell  even  as  she  spoke. 

Without  a  word  of  explanation  the  Prince 
Komatzu  himself  stooped  to  the  floor.  Lift- 
ing in  his  arms  the  senseless  form  of  the  maid 
Masago,  he  bore  it  to  the  royal  norimon 
without  the  house. 

After  that  those  within  the  house  heard  the 
sounds  of  departure.  Then  silence  in  the  night. 
Kwacho  returned  from  the  veranda. 


374 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


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"They  have  gone  in  the  direction  of  the 
palace  Aoyama  —  some  demented  princess, 
doubtless."  He  turned  to  Junzo,  ''  I  trust 
you  will  pardon  the  interruption  of  your  visit 
in  my  house." 

The  artist  returned  his  host's  bow  mechani- 
cally, then  looked  with  some  stealthiness  toward 
his  fiancee.  When  he  found  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
his  face  imploringly,  he  could  not  look  at  her. 

"  The  night  grows  late,"  he  said  heavily ; 
"  permit  me  to  say  good  night." 

He  bowed  deeply  to  all,  departing  without 
another  word  to  Sado-ko.  She  moved  toward 
the  doors.  Turning  in  the  path,  he  saw  her 
standing  there. 

That  night,  when  husband  and  wife  lay 
side  by  side  upon  their  mattresses,  Kwacho, 
moving  restlessly,  said  :  — 

"  The  woman  had  a  countenance  so  strangely 
like  our  girl's  it  disturbs  my  mind.  Yet, 
Shaka  !  how  different  were  their  ways  !  How 
much  more  admirable  the  simple,  unaffected 
manners  of  our  country  girl !  I  wonder  why 
the  woman  came  —  " 


MASAGO'S  RETURN 


375 


« 


Listen,  Kwacho,"  said  Ohano,  sitting  up, 
« I  have  heard,  sometime,  that  the  Princess 
Sado-ko  once  loved  our  Junzo.  Yes,  it  is 
so!  You  need  not  move  so  angrily.  Do 
you  not  recall  that  when  he  was  ill  he  called 
upon  her  name  repeatedly?" 

«  I  ^cll  you,"  her  husband  answered  angrily, 
"the  boy  is  fairiy  sick  with  his  affection  for 
Masago.  Only  a  woman's  foolish  mind  could 
imagine  otherwise." 

Ohano  lay  down  again. 
"A  woman's  wiser   mind,  Kwacho.     I  am 
convinced    this   princess   came    to    take    our 
Junzo  from  Masago." 

"Go  to  sleep,  Ohano,"  growled  her  hus- 
band; "surmises  and  convictions  are  some- 
times treasonable  and  wicked." 


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CHAPTER   XXVII 
A   GRACIOUS   PRINCESS  AT  LAST 


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CHAPTER   XXVII 


A   GRACIOUS    PRINCESS    AT    LAST 

THF   following  morninp  Masago,  irri- 
tated and  nervous,  sat  in  a  chamber 
of  the  palace  Aoyama.     Impatiently 
she  chided  Madame  Bara,  t'^c  chaperon. 

"  I  am  tired  of  your  voice,"  she  said.     "  Do 
not  speak  farther,  or  better  still,  leave  me,  if 

you  please." 

The  woman,  bowing  deeply,  left  her  mistress 

alone.     Then  Masago  called:  — 
«  Natsu-no !     Where  are  you  ?  " 
Upon    the    instant    appeared    the    waiting- 
woman   of    the    Princess    Sado^ko.      Masago 

instructed:  — 

«  Look  out  once  again  and  tell  me  if  he 

comes." 

There  was  silence  for  a  moment,  as  the 
maid  passed  into  the  adjoining  room  and 
leaning    from    the    casement     looked   toward 

379 


38o 


DAUGHTERS  OF    NIJO 


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the  front  part  of  the  palace.  Soon  her 
voice,  raised  and  mechanical,  answered  the 
impatient  query  of  Masago. 

"  He  comes  not  yet !  "  she  said. 
"  Look  again,"  said  Masago ;  "  do  not  leave 
the  casement  until  he  comes." 

Natsu-no  was  no  longer  young.  She  shiv- 
ered at  the  open  casement  through  which 
came  the  morning  air;  her  eyes  were  blue 
v/ith  cold,  and  tired  for  sleep,  for  Natsu-no 
had  spent  the  night  in  secret  tears.  After  all 
these  days  she  knew  now  where  her  mistress 
was,  yet  fate  —  a  thing  she  was  too  insignifi- 
cant to  fight  against — chained  her  like  a 
slave  to  this  girl-autocrat. 

When,  from  the  direction  of  the  palace 
reserved  for  the  men  of  the  household,  Ko- 
matzu  appeared,  the  woman  drew  the  shutters. 
Then,  shuffling  to  the  other  room,  she  an- 
nounced, "  He  comes  !  " 

Masago  sprang  to  her  feet.  She  held  out 
both  her  hands  toward  Komatzu  when  he 
entered,  but  he  did  not  touch  them.  His 
eves  were  dark,  drawn  into  a  heavy  frown. 


A   GRACIOUS   PRINCESS   AT   LAST    381 

"  Have  you  heard   the  joyful  news  ? "   she 
cried. 

"  What  news  ?  " 

"  Word  came  this  morning  by  the  divine 
barbarian  wires  from  Tokyo  that  my  betrothal 
with  the  Crown  Prince  had  been  peremptorily 
annulled.  Why,  you  do  not  appear  glad  at 
the  news ! " 

"I  have  heard  it,"  he  said;  "there  are 
other  things  which  trouble  me.  Princess,  1 
ask  an  explanation  of  your  Highness.  Nay, 
I  demand  it.  Some  months  ago  a  rumor 
coupled  your  name  with  a  low  artist-man. 
You  start  and  blush.  Was  the  rumor  only 
malice  ? " 

Masago  looked  at  him  reproachfully.     She 

said :  — 

'*  Purely  so." 

"Then,  cousin,  give  me  an  explanation  of 
your  last  night's  conduct.  You  have  recov- 
ered from  your  indisposition,  which  still  had 
a  cause.  Why  did  you  journey  in  such  haste 
to  Kamakura  ? " 

Tears    fell.       Masago's    voice    broke    and 


i'fi: 


t\   id  .1  *"■•■: 


382  DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 

trembled.     "  I  was  homesick,"  she  replied  in 

a  low   voice ;   "  that  is  the   truth,   Komatzu. 

The  gods  are  my  witnesses." 

"  Homesick  for  the  merchant's  home,  friends 

of  the  artist-man  ?  " 

She  averted  her  face,  not  hesitating  in  her 

deceit. 

"Your   jealousy    is    misplaced,    Komatzu. 

They  told  you  truly  last  night.     I  was  —  as 

women  often  are— witless.     Who  would  not 

be  at  such  a  shock?" 

"  You  speak  of  your  betrothal  ? " 

"  I  do.    Do  you  not  understand,  Komatzu  ? " 

She  went   closer  to   him.      "The   thought 

of  union  with  another  than  yourself  unnerved 

me. 

He  spoke  impetuously,  and  as  though  a 
weight  was   lifted  from  his  mind :  — 

"  Princess,  could  I  believe  your  words, 
I    would    be   the   happiest   prince   in   all    the 

land." 

"  Believe  them,"  she  pleaded.  "  It  is  the 
truth  I  speak;  I  swear  it  by  all  the  eight 
million  gods  of  heaven,  and  by  our  ancestor. 


A  GRACIOUS   PRINCESS  AT   LAST    383 

the  Sun-god.      I    went  to  Kamakura,  rashly, 
blindly,  wildly,  because  of  love  for  you." 

He  looked  searchingly  into  her  eyes.     Then 
as  if  satisfied  he  stooped  and  kissed  her  lips, 
a  habit  they  had   recently  adopted  at   court. 
"I    have   suffered,   Sado-ko,  more   than    I 
ever  dreamed  possible.     I  thought  this  artist- 
fellow  was  alone  responsible  for  your  action." 
"  Komatzu,  he  is  already  betrothed   to   the 
merchant's    daughter,    a    simple    maid,    who 
bears   a   small   resemblance   to   me." 
He  made  a  gesture  of  denial. 
"That  is  impossible,  princess.     What,  you 
compare  one  of  her  class   with   you !      It  is 
most   gracious.      No  one  in  all  the  land  can 
equal  you  in  beauty." 
She  smiled  in  happiness. 
"Your    journey    was     a 
though   a   rnorsel    for   the 
Do    you    know   that    this    latest    caprice   so 
moved  the  young  and  easily  shocked  Crown 
Prince,   that  in   disgust   he   hastened    to   his 
father,   and    on    his   knees   besought   him   to 
grant  another  wife?" 


fortunate    event, 
gossips,   princess. 


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384 


DAUGHTERS  OF  NIJO 


S 


They  laughed. 
"What  happened  next?" 
"  One  hour  after  you  left  Tokyo,  Sado-ko 
was    humiliated,  her   betrothal    being  publicly 
annulled.     It  made  a  noisy  story  for  a  space." 
"  And  next  what  happened  ?  " 
"  Next,  I  too  presented   myself  before  his 
Majesty,  who,  being  uncle  as  well  as  father, 
was   ready   to    condone    offence   unfitted    for 
a   future    Empress.       Consequently,    when    1 
begged    him    to    grant     me     your    hand    in 
marriage,    he   graciously    consented." 
"  And  you  followed  me  at  once  ?  " 
«  At  once." 

When  Komatzu  had  left  her,  Masago  stood 
for  some  time  looking  from  the  casement  of 
the  palace. 

"  To  think,"  she  murmured,  "  of  the  folly 
I  was  near  to  committing  but  last  night.  The 
court  is  cold  and  heartless,  yet  it  is  my  true, 
true  home,  for  there  is  the  only  one  on  earth 
who  loves  me."  She  sighed.  "  I  am  an 
outcast  from  my  childhood's  home  —  even  my 
stupid  mother  denies  mc.     It  was  fitting ! " 


A   GRACIOUS   PRINCESS   AT   LAST    385 

The  voice  of  the  waiting-woman,  Natsu-no, 
broke  upon  her  meditations. 

"Exalted  princess!"  She  turned  slowly 
toward  the  woman.  At  her  haggard  aspect 
she  was  touched. 

"  What  is  it,  Natsu-no  ?  "  she  asked  with 
compassion. 

« I  am  no  longer  young,"  said  the  woman. 
« I  was  handmaiden  to  the  mother  of  the 
Princess  Sado-ko,  and  from  her  birth  I  served 
the  latter." 

"You    have  been   faithful,"    said  Masago, 

kindly. 

"Will,    then,    the    illustrious    one  reward 

the  faithful  service  of  the  most  humble 
oner 

"What    do     you    wish?       It    is  already 

granted,"    said   Masago,    generously,  for  she 

was  happy. 

"Permission,"  said   the  woman,  "to   leave 

your  service." 

Masago  looked  closely  into  her  face. 

"  You  wish  to  serve  again — ' 

She  did  not  finish  the  sentence,  nor  did  the 

2B 


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386  DAUGHTERS  OF   NIJO 

woman.     Their  eyes  met.     Each  understood 
the  other. 

"  You  are  free  to  go,"  said  Masago,  gently. 

The  woman  moved  away. 

"  Stay,"  said  Masago,  "  I  have  a  message 
for  you  to  carry  to  your  mistress.  Say  this 
for  me :  *  She  who  is  now  Princess  Sado-ko 
sets  free  your  maid.  She  wishes  with  all 
her  heart  she  had  done  likewise  with  the 
nightingale.'  " 

Natsu-no  touched  with  her  head  the  hem 
of  Masago' s  robe. 

"You  are  a  gracious  princess,"  she 
murmured. 


i^'  '1 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 
"THE  GODS  KNEW  BEST! 


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CHAPTER  XXVIII 

"THE   GODS    KNEW    BEST  !  " 

IT  wanted  but  a  few  hours  before  the  noon 
wedding  when  Sado-ko,  appearing  on  her 
balcony,  looked   down   into  the   garden, 
where  her  lover  waited.     Down  the  little  flight 
of  stairs  straight  to  him  she  went,  silently  ac- 
cepting from  his  hands  flowers.     Her  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  his  face  lovingly,  but  anxiously. 
«You  look  so  pale,"  she  said.    «  Did  you 

not  sleep  last  night,  my  Junzo?" 

«  I  did  not  sleep,"  he  said.  "Come,  let  us 
walk  where  it  is  more  secluded.  I  wish  to 
speak  with  you  alone." 

In  a  dreamy,  pensive   fashion  she  walked 
beside  him.     They  crossed   the   little  garden 
bridge  to  a  quiet,  shady  spot.     Once  out  of 
sight  of  the  house,  Junzo  stopped  short  and, 
turning,  faced  her. 

3^9 


390 


DAlfGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


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"  Last  night,"  he  said,  "  one  told  a  night- 
mare story,  which  you  denied.  The  morning 
is  come.     Tell  me  the  truth." 

A  flush  spread  over  her  face,  as  though 
she  were  half  angered  with  him.  She  would 
not  raise  her  eyes  to  his.  His  voice  was  firm 
—  stern :  — 

"  Answer  me." 

"  I  cannot,"  she  replied,  "  when  you  speak 
in  such  a  tone." 

Her  heaving  bosom  told  him  she  was  on 
the  verge  of  tears.  Gently  he  took  her  hands 
in  his  and  held  them.  His  voice  was  tender- 
ness itself. 

"  Now  tell  me  all,"  he  said. 

She  tried  to  meet  his  eyes,  but  Cuuld  not. 
Then  she  sought  to  draw  her  hands  from  his, 
while  she  averted  her  face. 

"  I  would  not  speak  of  sad  matters  on  my 
wedding-day.  There  is  naught  to  tell."  She 
added  the  last  sentence  with  swift  vehemence. 

"There  is  much  to  tell,"  he  said  gravely. 
"I  am  your  lover  —  soon  your  husband. 
Before   that   time,   tell    me   th«   secret  which 


"THE  GODS   KNEW    BEST!"       39' 

rests  between  us  now.     If  there  is  no  truth  in 

that  woman,  reassure  my  doubts." 
«  Can  love  and  doubt  exist  together  ? " 
«  If  you  loved  me,  you  would  trust  me,"  he 

replied  gravely,  ignoring  her  question. 

She  threw  her  head  back  with  a  swift,  brave 

motion. 
«♦  Do  you  truly  love  me  ?  '* 
«  With  all  my  heart." 
"  You  love  Sado-ko  ? " 
He  did  not  answer. 

"Ah,  how  blmd  you  have  been,"  she  said, 
"that  Sado-ko  could  make  you  think  she 
were  other  than  herself.  It  was  a  strange  test 
of  your  love,  Junzo." 

"  Then  it  is  true ! "  he  said,  making  a  move- 
ment of  recoil  from  her. 

«  It  is  true  that  I  am  Sado-ko,"  she  said. 
He  stared  at  her  blankly.     Then  suddenly 
he    covered    his    face    with    his    hands    and 

groaned. 

"The   gods   have   pity  on  us   both!"   he 

said. 

"Why  should  the  gods  have  pity?"  asked 


i 


\'' 


392  DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 

the   Princess   Sado-ko.     "They  have  already 
blessed  us.     We  are  hap;)y,  Junzo." 

"  Happy  ! "  he  repeated.  "  Guileless  one, 
do  you  not  see  our  happiness  is  so  slight 
and  dangerous  a  thing  we  cannot  hold 
it?" 

"  But  why  may  we  not  ? " 

"  You  are  the  Princess  Sado-ko,  and  I  —  an 
artist-man." 

"  You  are  my  Junzo,"  she  replied,  "  and  I 
am  your  Sado-ko.  This  we  know,  but  it  is  a 
secret.  The  world  will  call  me  Masago,  and 
once  !    'la  your  wife — " 

"  Ou.  union  is  impossible." 

Pressing  her  hand  to  her  breast,  she  gazed 
imploringly  at  him. 

"  It  is  not  impossible,"  she  said  steadily. 
"You  cannot  now  refuse  to  marry  me.  The 
gods  have  given  us  to  each  other.  They  did 
so  from  the  first.     "We  will  be  happy." 

"  There  are  others  of  whom  we  both  must 
think."  he  cried. 

"  No,  no,"  she  said.  "  Upon  this  day  we 
will  not  think  of  others." 


-  THE  GODS   KNEW   BEST!"       393 
"  This  is  folly  that  wc  have  been  dreaming, 

O  princes*  I " 

He  moved  away  from  her  for  a  time,  pacing 
up  and  down  with  moody,  bent  head.  He 
came  back  to  her  impetuously,  and  spoke 
accusingly,  yet  mournfully:  — 

«  You  did  a  cruel  act  last  night.     That  poor 
girl  came  to  her  true  home.    You  denied  her, 

Sado-ko ! " 

«  Tou  reproach  me  for  that ! "  she  cried,  her 
eyes  flashing  resentfully.  «  How  can  you  say 
that  to  me,  since  it  was  for  your  sake  I  did 
deny  her,  and  for  hers  too,  though  she  had 
been  most  eager  and  well  content  to  change 
her  lot  with  mine  at  first.  Yet  last  night  I 
thought  upon  the  consequences  of  her  act  and 
mine.     I  did  not  think  of  myself  at  all." 

He  did  not  interrupt  her,  and  she  continued 
in  defence  with  impetuous  swiftness. 

"Think  on  the  matter  but  a  little  while, 
Junzo.  Would  you  have  loved  this  other 
one?  No,  in  your  face  1  read  the  answer. 
Do  not  speak  it.  Could  I  give  her  to  you, 
then,  in  place  of  mc  ?     I  am  but  a  woman  and 


^1 


394 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


ir| 


f 


cannot  reason  harshly,  and  so  I  thought  last 
night  with  pity  and  tenderness  of  you." 

"  My  Sado-ko  !  "  he  said. 

"  A  little  while  ago,"  she  said,  "  you  called 
me  Masago.  How  easily  you  change  the 
name.  First  it  was  Sado-ko,  —  the  sweetest, 
most  peerless  name  on  earth.  Then  it  was 
Masago,  —  the  purest,  simplest  name  for 
maiden;  and  now  —  " 

"  I  never  loved  you  for  your  name,"  he 
said. 

She  laughed  for  the  first  time,  and  caught 
at  his  hand,  pressing  it  against  her  face. 

"  Now  you  are  my  Junzo  once  again.  We 
will  not  speak  of  these  sad  things." 

"  Sado-ko,  we  cannot  but  do  so.  Try  and 
see  the  matter  as  it  is.     You  are  — " 

"  Masago  —  your  betrothed.  A  little  while 
and  I  will  be  —  your  wife!" 

"  It  cannot  be,"  he  said  sadly,  "  for  you 
are  not  Masago.  We  must  think  of  her  be- 
sides ourselves.  We  cannot  rob  her  of  her 
rights." 

"  But  it  is  to  protect  her  that  I  must  still 


i. 


«THE   GODS   KNEW   BEST!"       395 

be  Masago.  Why,  think  what  would  be  the 
fate  of  a  common  citizen  if  she  confessed  that 
she  had  practised  deceit  upon  the  royal  court! 
True,  I  was  jointly  guilty,  but  princesses  do  not 
have  the  punishment  bestowed  upon  a  sim- 
ple citizen.  Why,  there  is  no  doubt,  if  this 
were  told,  the  maid  Masago  would  be  punished 
by  the  government  so  cruelly  she  would  not 
have  the  strength  to  live.     Is  it  not  a  crime 

of  treason  —  " 

Junzo  held  up  a  hand,  for  some  one  was 

coming  toward  them. 

The  woman  who  approached  was  bowed, 
but  when  she  lifted  her  face,  they  saw  the  un- 
dried  tears  upon  it.  Sado-ko  recognized  at 
once  Natsu-no.  The  latter  came  hastily 
toward  her,  dropped  upon  her  knees,  and 
hid  her  face  in  the  folds  of  the  girl's  kimono. 

"Do  not  kneel,"  said  Sado-ko.  "They 
will  see  you  from  the  house.  Stand  up.  Now 
tell  me,  why  do  you  come  here  ? " 

«  Sado-ko ! " 

«  Hush !     Do  not  call   me  by  that   name. 

Why  are  you  here  ? " 


396 


DAUGHTERS   OF   NIJO 


I 


I'fl 


•'"f 


"  To  ofFer  my  poor  services  again,  sweet 
mistress." 

"  You  have  left  the  Nijo  service  ? "  inquired 
Sado-ko,  swiftly. 

"  The  gracious  princess  granted  me  my  free- 
dom, and  so  I  came  — " 

Sado-ko  put  her  arm  about  her  old  servant. 

"  Do  not  tremble  so,  good  maid,"  she  said, 
"  but  tell  us  in  a  breath  all  there  is  to  know." 

"  She  is  to  marry  Prince  Komatzu.  All  is 
well  with  her  to-day.  In  her  happiness  she 
was  generous  and  gracious ;  and  so  this  morn- 
ing granted  me  my  freedom." 

Sado-ko  turned  a  beaming  face  toward  her 
lover.     For  the  first  time  he  was  smiling. 

"  Your  coming  is  a  happy  omen,  good  maid," 
he  said. 

"  Hark,  listen ! "  said  Sado-ko,  her  eyes 
gleaming.  "  They  are  calling  me.  They  wish 
to  put  my  wedding  gown  upon  me.  I  must 
go.  Natsu !  Come  and  dress  me  for  the  last 
time  in  my  maidenhood.  Junzo !  Fo.  but 
an  hour's  space,  sayonara ! " 

"  Sayonara,"  he  repeated  with  deep  emotion. 


"THE   GODS   KNEW   BEST!"       397 

He  watched  her  until  he  could  not  see  her 
further.  Then  with  sudden,  swift,  and  buoy- 
ant step  he  followed  the  path  she  had  taken, 
and  entered  the  wedding  house. 

"The  gods  knew  best!"  he  said. 


» 


. ')! 


LETTERS  FROM  JAPAN 

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